Delhi's first skin bank opens at Safdarjung Hospital

The first in northern India, the skin bank has added another feather to the cap of the hospital, said Dr BL Sherwal, Medical Superintendent of Safdarjung Hospital.

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The skins which will be donated at the bank can be very helpful in treating burns patients, especially those with extensive burns and with other wounds, Dr Sherwal said.

Dr Shalabh Kumar, head of the Department of Burns and Plastic Surgery at the hospital, said around 7 to 10 million people sustain burns every year in India. Out of these 1.4 lakhs lives are lost and 1.5 lakh people develop various deformities.

“So, the problem is huge and hence we need to tackle it. The cadaveric skin will decrease the mortality and increase the survival rate in these patients and improves the outcome, lessens hospital stay and the overall cost of treatment,” Dr Kumar said.

The skin can be donated by any deceased person within six hours of their death and then will be stored, processed in the skin bank and further provided to needy patients.

The donated skin can be stored for three to five years. 

As per a media report in The Indian Express, “Skin grafting is a very simple process, said Dr Kumar. The skin of a deceased person can be donated within six hours of death. The skin is then extracted, harvested and processed, which takes five to six weeks. After this, it can be provided to patients, he added. Unlike a kidney and liver, which cannot be stored and need to be transplanted within a few hours of donation, skin can be stored for three to five years, he said.

No blood group or any other matching is required. Any donated skin can be used to treat any patient.

There is no need for immunosuppressants and steroids in the postoperative period, Dr Kumar said.

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