Doctors at the Government Medical College Hospital (MCH), Thiruvananthapuram, have marked a major milestone in burn care with the commencement of skin processing at Kerala’s first government-run skin bank. The facility, established alongside the hospital’s burn unit, enables the harvesting, preservation, and processing of donor skin for use in patients who have suffered extensive skin loss due to burns or traumatic injuries. Health officials say the initiative significantly strengthens the state’s capacity to deliver advanced, timely care to critically injured patients.
The harvested skin is preserved under strictly controlled temperature and storage systems before undergoing chemical processing for approximately three weeks. Once prepared, the processed skin is grafted onto patients using plastic surgery techniques and advanced medical technology. Clinicians emphasise that skin grafts…
