Minister Nisha Mehta Pushes Burn Care Across Seven Provinces

The Ministry of Health and Food Hygiene has begun preparations to expand effective burn treatment services across all seven provinces, seeking to end the situation in which patients must depend on a small number of hospitals for specialised care.

The plan also covers psychosocial counselling for patients and their families. The ministry wants counselling services already available in hospitals to become more organised, visible and easier to access.

The approach marks a shift towards province-based planning. Instead of treating burn care as a service available only where individual hospitals have developed the capacity, the ministry intends to identify what each province lacks and build services around those gaps.

Existing services reviewed with health academies

The current state of burn treatment across the country was reviewed during a virtual meeting held under the direction of Health and Food Hygiene Minister Nisha Mehta.

Newly appointed vice-chancellors of health sciences academies took part in the meeting and presented details of the services available at their institutions.

The academies briefed the ministry on their treatment capacity, specialist workforce, infrastructure, medical equipment and other resources. They also raised problems affecting service delivery and discussed the work required in the coming period.

The review showed that expanding burn care will require more than adding treatment beds. Trained professionals, dedicated treatment areas, medicines, equipment and referral arrangements will have to be developed together for the service to function properly.

Resource mapping to guide provincial plans

The ministry and the academies agreed to carry out detailed mapping of the resources needed for effective burn treatment in every province.

The mapping will cover specialist personnel, training requirements, treatment rooms, equipment, medicines and other essential resources. Province-specific action plans will then be prepared and implemented on the basis of those findings.

This process is expected to help the ministry identify where services already exist, where they remain weak and what support each institution requires. It will also give provincial health facilities a clearer basis for expanding care rather than relying on scattered arrangements.

Counselling services to be made easier to reach

The meeting also decided to strengthen psychosocial counselling centres operating within health sciences academies.

Institutions have been directed to clearly inform patients and their families about the counselling services available in hospitals. They must also ensure that people who need support can reach those services without unnecessary difficulty.

Burn treatment often continues beyond immediate medical care. The ministry’s decision to place counselling alongside physical treatment reflects an effort to make hospital support more responsive to both patients and their families.

Minister Mehta said improving the reach and quality of burn treatment and mental health services remains a priority. She said coordination and implementation would be accelerated to expand and strengthen both services across all seven provinces.