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| Sunday, 3 November 2002 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Preventing burn injuries and deaths : Safety first by Carol Aloysius * Eleven month Isanika Wenhari of Thoragolla, Panadura, died with burn injuries from a bottle lamp after being admitted to the National Hospital, Colombo. * An eight year old girl succumbed to injuries when a kerosene oil bottle lamp fell on her while she was teaching her younger brother and sister. * A 13 year old girl died of severe burn injuries at the Matara hospital when a bottle lamp fell on her while she was boiling water to prepare some milk for her younger brother. * Matugamage Renuka Perera, 9, studying at Kelanitissa Vidyalaya , Gonawela, died when her night dress accidentally caught fire from a bottle lamp while she was preparing tea for her father. "The deaths of these children is both tragic and unnecessary. Their lives could have been saved if their parents had used the safe bottle lamp we have devised as an alternative to the unsafe bottle lamp that killed them",says Dr. Wijeya Godakumbura, President of the Safe Bottle Lamp Foundation. He laments that despite the ready availability of these safe bottle lamps at a low affordable price, there are only a few takers- a tiny fraction of the number of households that require them. "This is inspite of the fact that the number of horrendous burns and deaths that occur from bottle lamp accidents is rising everyday at an alarming rate', he says. In an interview with the Sunday Observer, Dr. Godakumbura emphasised the fact that the Safe Bottle Lamp he had devised and which has been in the market for some time now, came with a guarantee of No Fire and No Burn Injuries. The short sturdy bottle resembling a marmite bottle has two flat sides that prevent it from rolling unlike its unsafe counterparts, and a metal screw on lid to prevent oil from spilling. " It is a hundred percent safe bottle lamp, designed to prevent accidental fire." He reiterated." Our bottle lamp is not only safe, it is cheap and freely available", says this Consultant surgeon at the National Hospital and member of the National Committee for Prevention of Injuries. Currently, an estimated four million households, mainly in rural and deprived homes use oil lamps instead of electricity. To date, its architect says that his invention has been able to replace 450,000 unsafe lamps being used in Lankan homes without electricity.' " But there are more than three million households that still run the risk of accidental burns and injuries from unsafe bottle lamps. This is why we need to remind them once again that a safe alternative is available to them at a cost they can afford as well" , Dr. Godakumbura said. Unsafe bottle lamps are the major cause for accidental burns in Sri Lanka. Scars from second or third degree burns can last for life and cause much mental trauma for the victims, if they survive the burns. On an average at least 30 to 40 persons are admitted to the hospitals everyday due to unsafe bottle lamp accidents. Every two days at least one or two of these burn victims die. The saddest part is that the victims are mostly young children. " We can easily supply all the households now using unsafe oil lamps - if they will make use of our offer. Unfortunately the takers are still very few". He attributes this lack of good response from the public to either ignorance about the existence of a safe bottle lamp, or the fact that the latter is slightly more expensive than the unsafe varieties of bottle lamps are still not aware of the existence of this lamp. The Safe Bottle lamp is priced at Rs 15 - four rupees below our costs. Still it is definitely cheaper and much less dangerous to purchase a Safe bottle lamp than an unsafe one", he stressed. "The Safe Bottle Lamp Project has not only been acclaimed here but internationally. In 1998 it won one of the five first prizes offered by the Rolex Watch Company of Switzerland which selects the best 15 projects worldwide , once in two years. The SBLF which won US dollars 50,000 was able to use the money to increase its output," says its inventor. It is estimated that around Rs. 10,000 lakhs can be saved by preventing 2000 oil lamp injuries. "Every four days the State spends nearly 100 lakhs to treat oil lamp victims. The safe lamp can save the state all this money besides saving lives. Upto 1000 lives and Rs. 1,000 million can be saved during the next decade if the Safe Bottle lamp is given it due place in the household . Safe bottle lamps are available at all Co-ops, CWE outlets, Salu Sala outlets, and also through Samurdhi animators. |
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