A centre that specialises in treating hand injuries
The Hindu
Government Stanley Medical College Hospital in Chennai specializes in treating hand injuries, especially from industrial accidents, with round-the-clock emergency services.
Functioning in the midst of not only a densely populated but also a highly industrialised part of Chennai, the Government Stanley Medical College Hospital is the place where most people, especially industrial labourers, turn to for treatment of hand injuries.
To cater to the constant flow of patients with hand injuries, the hospital has been running a round-the-clock emergency service and has a separate operation theatre to take up reconstruction surgeries within six hours.
The hospital’s Institute for Research and Rehabilitation of Hand and Department of Plastic Surgery is known for its hand injury services. On an average, it handles more than 3,000 cases of hand injuries a month. These include outpatients, in-patients, emergencies, and elective procedures, says S. Sridevi, professor and head of the department.
“The majority of the hand injuries that we see are the result of industrial accidents. Injuries from household accidents, road traffic accidents, and assaults are among the other commonly seen cases. As this is an industrial belt, we see a lot of industrial crush injuries involving the hands,” she says.
In household accidents, doctors see hand injuries involving blenders as well as children with door crush injuries. During summer, vendors selling sugar cane juices land up with crush injuries from the sugar cane crushers.
Hand, she says, is an organ of function, and plays an important role in daily life. “Treating a hand injury is an intricate job. It requires persons with specialised skills to treat hand injuries,” Dr. Sridevi notes.
P. Balaji, Dean of the hospital, says, “Patients from all over Tamil Nadu and neighbouring States get referred to the department. Since many industries are located in north Chennai, industrial accidents are in plenty and patients get treated here.”