Bengaluru: 70 firecracker-injured patients reported at Govt, private hospitals

Bengaluru: Around 70 cases of firecracker-related injuries have been reported in both government and private hospitals during Diwali celebrations in Bengaluru, out of which the state-run Minto Ophthalmic hospital received 13 cases of them. 

Earlier, the hospital released a list of dos and don'ts for people bursting firecrackers during Diwali and had set aside 30 beds to attend to patients with firecracker injuries. The hospital received injury cases till Tuesday afternoon.

An injured 19-year-old resident of Mysuru Road, Jayasurya, was rushed to Minto Hospital on Monday after bursting a cracker. According to the medical professionals who examined him, his right eye had an iris prolapse, a full-thickness corneal tear, and superficial skin burns. Moreover, there is no chance that he will regain his sight.

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An 18-year-old boy from Srinagar, a bystander, was hit by a cracker while a seven-year-old boy from Fraser town received eye injuries when a cracker exploded in front of his face. Both patients were rushed to the Minto hospital.

Speaking with The Indian Express, Minto Hospital director Dr B L Sujatha Rathod said, "We have received 13 cases of firecracker injuries which include facial burn injuries and eye injuries as well. They will all recover. Most of the patients were just bystanders. Of these 13 cases, several are children while a 45-year-old woman, a bystander, was injured. On Sunday a seven-year-old boy from Thanisandra sustained an injury in his left eye. A team of 100 doctors, including postgraduate students, are available to attend to injured patients and no leave will be granted to the staff members during the festive week."

"We have one person who has been severely injured but there are chances of him regaining vision. That apart, five have suffered partial vision loss and seven have a mild loss. A 10-year-old boy from JP Nagar, who was a bystander, injured his eyes and also suffered superficial burns over his eyelids and face, and cheek. He has been admitted to the Mahabodhi Burns ward in Victoria Hospital," she said.

K. Bhujang Shetty, chairman of Narayana Nethralaya told TH "Four of the 18 cases seen at the hospital were severe injuries. Nearly 90% of the cases are bystanders, These four, including three children aged below nine years, have suffered partial vision loss. The rest have mild injuries, like burns on the eyelid or corneal abrasions, which will not result in any permanent damage to the eye," he said.

"Except for one adult, who has been referred to us from Anantapur, all the cases that we saw this year are children aged below ten years. The main problem every year is that of children burning crackers without adult supervision. They have a tendency to bend over the crackers, or to repeatedly attempt to light malfunctioning firecrackers, which may suddenly burst and cause injuries," he added.

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