Fish Skin
An innovative treatment for pediatric burns
Burn injuries are one of the leading health emergencies in Afghanistan, where access to medical care is extremely limited and children are the most affected victims. Severe burns often lead to infections, prolonged hospitalisation and, in the most critical cases, death. Reducing mortality requires timely intervention, appropriate wound care and effective skin coverage, resources that are rarely available.
To address this emergency, NOVE has launched Fish Skin, an innovative project introducing the use of fish skin as a biological dressing for pediatric burns. This natural material, rich in omega-3s and easy to store, helps reduce the number of dressing changes, alleviate pain, lower the risk of infection and promote faster healing. The approach is particularly effective for young children, who often suffer from extensive burns caused by boiling liquids.
The project is the result of a collaboration between NOVE, the Ministry of Public Health and the Burn Unit of the Indira Gandhi Institute of Child Health in Kabul. It is implemented within this hospital unit, with the involvement of physicians from major European medical centers: the University Children’s Hospital Zurich, University Hospital Mannheim, Heidelberg University and the Department of Plastic Surgery at the Hannover Medical School. Together, these institutions work to improve care for young burn patients through concrete interventions.
Activities include:
-
using fish skin to reduce the number of dressing changes, infections and hospitalisation days;
-
renovating and upgrading of an operating room and other areas within the Burn Unit of the Indira Gandhi Hospital in Kabul, improving equipment, safety standards and hygienic conditions;
-
specialised training for 25 Afghan female healthcare workers through a one-year telemedicine program: 24 lessons on pediatric burn care and fish skin application, supported by dedicated training materials.