… Marks 2025 Burns Awareness Week
By Chioma Obinna
The National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi, Lagos, NOHIL, has intensified its efforts to reduce burn-related injuries and deaths as it commemorates this year’s Burns Awareness Week, aimed at sensitising Nigerians to the causes, dangers, and prevention of burn injuries.
Addressing journalists during a Walk to Prevent Burns themed: “Prevention is better than cure” the Acting Medical Director, Dr. Lawal Wakeel, described burn injuries as a persistent but largely preventable cause of morbidity and mortality in the country. He emphasised
that awareness and preventive education remain the most effective strategies for reducing the incidence of burns and their devastating consequences.
“Every year, thousands of people sustain burn injuries resulting from domestic mishaps, industrial accidents, or motor vehicle incidents,” Wakeel noted.
“The best burn injury is the one that never happens. By raising awareness and educating our communities on prevention, we can reduce injuries, loss of life, and economic hardship, while also easing the financial burden on government health services.
Wakeel added that the National Orthopaedic Hospital, as a long-standing centre of excellence in trauma and burn management, is leading efforts to promote safety consciousness and preventive care across Nigeria.
Highlighting the importance of timely and specialised treatment, Chief Superintendent of Fire, CSF, Olusogo Olukayode, a firefighter and station commander with the Australian Fire Service, shared his personal experience as a survivor of severe burns.
“From my head to my neck and hands, I was badly burned,” he recalled. “I insisted on being treated at Igbobi, and what should have taken four months took just four weeks. Today, I am 98 percent recovered. The doctors and nurses were exceptional, and I remain deeply grateful for their care.”
Olukayode urged the public to adopt proactive safety measures at home and at work, noting that simple precautions can prevent catastrophic injuries.
“We must all be vigilant and safety-conscious,” he advised. “Households should keep fire extinguishers and fire blankets handy, because fire gives no warning.”
In her remarks, Consultant Plastic Surgeon and Head of the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at NOHIL, Dr. Taiwo Osisanya underscored the immense human and economic cost of burn injuries.
“Burns constitute a major public health challenge globally,” she said. “They cause significant mortality and long-term disability. Even survivors are often left with lasting psychological and physical scars. Prevention is far cheaper and more effective than treatment, which requires the coordinated efforts of multiple specialists and considerable resources.”
Osisanya reiterated the importance of public enlightenment, stressing that preventive education must begin early. She advised parents to supervise children closely in the kitchen, ensure adequate ventilation before lighting gas appliances, and secure electrical outlets to prevent accidents.
“Health education is the cornerstone of prevention. If we instil safety habits early, we can reduce the prevalence of burns and their devastating effects.”
Osisanya said that through this year’s Burns Awareness Week, the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi, aims to strengthen its advocacy for burn prevention, reinforcing the message that vigilance, safety education, and early intervention remain the most effective tools in safeguarding lives.
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