Road accidents biggest cause of child deaths – Health Ministry

by Carol Aloysius

As mortality and long-term disability among children due to accidents takes a sharp spike, health sources revealed that of the 2,580 child-related injuries in 2014, only 133 were admitted to hospital for treatment, with most succumbing to their injuries before being admitted. They also revealed that 152 children had been victims of fatal road traffic accidents last year.

“Those most at risk are the 4.2 million school-going population who are vulnerable to injuries at school and on the roads,” Community Physician, Family Health Bureau, Dr Kapila Jayarathne told the Sunday Observer while emphasizing the need for stricter laws and penalties to offenders, and calling for public cooperation in preventing, “these needless and tragic injuries in children, that cause death and long term disabilities”.

He said the main causes for child related injuries were motor traffic accidents, drowning, falls, burns and poisoning – all of which were preventable. Asked about child helmets due to the rising toll from road traffic accidents, he said there were no child specific helmets and no laws or regulations relating to child helmets at present.

Did he have an ‘ideal child helmet’ in mind? “A child helmet should be age and head specific. Even a toddler should be able to wear it,” he replied adding “There ‘s nothing like that in the market right now.”

Asked whether the Health Ministry was hoping to introduce a suitable child helmet in the near future he said, “The Expert Committee of Ergonomics of the Sri Lanka Medical Association is currently studying such helmets used in other countries. Once we have sufficient scientific evidence to show they are efficient and durable, we can adapt them to the Sri Lankan child.”

To mark International Children’s Day, which fell yesterday, the Health Ministry took the innovative step of handing stickers to all Police stations to be distributed to parents of young children reminding them of their role in preventing child related injuries, he said.