Burn victim gets new lease of life after surgery in Odisha hospital

Cuttack: A 14-year-old minor girl of Ganjam district who had sustained critical burn injuries and was subsequently left with a disfigured face following  a fire mishap last year, is set to begin a new life as she is recovering speedily following a successful surgery at SCB Medical College and Hospital here .

Puja Sethi, a native of Badakholi village under Aska block,  was recently operated by a team of surgeons headed by Dr Bibhuti Bhushan Nayak in the burn unit of surgery department of the hospital.

As per information, the minor girl fell prey to a fire mishap caused from a lamp in her hometown in March last year and had sustained severe burn injuries. She was rushed to a hospital in Aska and then shifted to MKCG Medical College and Hospital in Berhampur. After her condition started worsening further, she was again shifted to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack. After undergoing treatment for around five months, when she did not show any improvement, her family took her back to the house.

However, plight of the minor did not end there.  With time, Puja’s health condition started deteriorating further. Due to lack of proper treatment, her face was disfigured as her chin and neck got attached to her chest. She was not able to intake food due to this. Unable to find any other way, the hapless family rushed the minor to SCB Hospital again on February 18 this year.

Considering Puja’s delicate medical condition, doctors did not go for an immediate surgery. She was kept under observation and fed with a feeding tube till her conditions improved. Later, Puja underwent the surgery in which the skin of her face was successfully detached from her chest.

Currently, the minor is showing great improvement and can eat properly without any difficulty, said doctor Nayak.