National Accident Prevention Week begins tomorrow

The Ministry of Health states that the 11th National Accident Prevention Week, organised to raise public awareness about accident prevention, will be held from tomorrow (06) to July 10.

The Ministry notes that this week is being observed in view of the thousands of Sri Lankan lives lost annually due to accidents, as well as the hundreds of thousands who suffer injuries and disabilities.

The inaugural ceremony of this national programme is scheduled to be held tomorrow (06) at 11 a.m. at the Ministry’s main auditorium, under the patronage of the Minister of Health and Mass Media, Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa.

Health authorities point out that a significant percentage of patients admitted to government hospitals for inpatient treatment are victims of accidents, with falls, road accidents, workplace accidents, drownings, and domestic accidents being the leading causes.

The Ministry states that the primary objective of this national programme is to minimise the severe impact of these accidents on healthcare services as well as the country’s social and economic development.

Organised by the Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) Unit of the Ministry of Health under the guidance of the National Committee for Prevention of Injuries (NCPI), each day of this week will be dedicated to a special theme.

Accordingly, the Ministry of Health has designated Monday (06) for Road Accident Prevention Day; Tuesday July 7 Workplace Accident Prevention Day; Wednesday July 8 Prevention of Accidents in Homes and Elders'Homes Day; Thursday July 9 Drowning Accident Prevention Day; Friday July 10 Prevention of Accidents in Schools, Preschools, and Daycare Centres Day.

Public awareness programmes are planned to be held across the country, activities to identify high-risk locations for accidents, practical programmes to build a safe environment, and to implement short, medium, and long-term measures to minimise accidents during this week.

These programmes will be implemented with the joint contribution of government institutions, health agencies, the education sector, security forces, and other relevant parties. The Ministry of Health requests the public to provide maximum participation, considering accident prevention a national responsibility.