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Tuesday, 7 July 2020 01:23 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Non-Communicable Diseases Director Dr. Vindya Kumarapeli
The Ministry of Health yesterday launched the Fifth National Accident Prevention Awareness Week, the Health Promotion Bureau said.
Sri Lankans can do much more to prevent accidents and related injuries and deaths, Non-Communicable Diseases Director Dr. Vindya Kumarapeli told the press yesterday at an event organised to educate media organisation about the awareness week which will run from 6-12 July.
According to the Ministry of Health, the planned awareness week will be subtle this year due to the need to adhere to COVID-19 public health regulations, and called on media organisations to do more to build awareness among the public in the long term. Speaking at a press conference earlier Dr. Kumarapeli said that around 12,000 persons die due to accidents and related injuries in Sri Lanka annually. “About 1.2 million seek treatment at hospitals each year for accidents and related injuries with an average of 32 deaths reported daily,” Dr. Kumarapeli said, pointing out that over two decades, accidents have been the number one cause of admissions to Government hospitals.
Dr. Kumarapeli stated that the data available may not accurately reflect the exact number of those who seek treatment for accidents as some patients seek treatment at Out Patient Departments (OPD’s) of Government hospitals without notifying authorities of the cause of injuries, seek private medical treatment or resort to indigenous treatments and home remedies.
As such, the wider impact of accidents and the resulting socio-economic impact is difficult calculate, Dr. Kumarapeli added. Annually, 8% of the global deaths recorded (4.8 million) are due to accidents, making accidents the fifth leading cause of death, worldwide, Dr. Kumarapeli explained. From a medical perspective, road and motoring accidents, drowning, poisoning, violence and suicide fall in to the accidental deaths category and a majority of those who seek treatment for accidents are those between ages 15-44.
According to Dr. Kumarapeli, most accidents occur while on the roads or at work. “Most employees are under educated on occupational health and safety or don’t practice them at workplaces or industrial sites, a lack of first-aid training is also a contributing factor to why so many accidents results in serious injuries and loss of life,” Dr. Kumarapeli said, adding that awareness was key to preventing and mitigating the issues.
