Preventive measures can save lives

By A Staff Reporter, Kathmandu, Dec. 3: According to the World Health Organisation, around 12,000 people die daily due to injuries and violence across the world.

Among the 4.4 million injury-related deaths, unintentional injuries take the lives of 3.16 million people every year and violence-related injuries kill 1.25 million people every year.

The injuries are a result of road traffic crashes, falls, drowning, burns, poisoning and acts of violence against oneself or others.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) data also shows that roughly 1 in 3 of these deaths result from road traffic crashes, 1 in 6 from suicide, 1 in 10 from homicide and 1 in 61 from war and conflict. 

For people aged 5-29 years, three of the top five causes of death are injury-related, namely road traffic injuries, homicide and suicide. 

According to the daily bulletins of Nepal Police Headquarters, a total of 13 individuals died in road mishaps across the country on Thursday alone.

In the last fiscal year 2021/22, a total of 2,883 individuals died, 7,282 were seriously injured, and 25,722 were injured in road accidents across Nepal.

Also, the data shows that drowning is the sixth leading cause of death for children aged 5-14 years worldwide.

Manu Khatun, one-year-old daughter of Salahudin Ansari of Ward No. 7 of Dhanushadham Municipality in Dhanusha district, got drowned in a bucket of water Thursday evening. She got drowned in the garden while playing.

She was rescued and rushed to a local health centre but died during treatment. It was the third case of drowning reported by the daily bulletins of Nepal Police Headquarters in the recent week.

A three-year-old child had also got drowned in a pond in Jaleshwor Municipality of Mahottari district on Wednesday.

Similarly, falls are said to account for over 684,000 deaths each year and are a growing and under-recognised public health issue.

Only on Thursday, three individuals, including a teenager and a child, died from falling. A 17-year-old teenager fell off from a house in Bhaktapur and a five-year-old girl fell off from a house in Musikot, Gulmi.

Experts stress that injuries and violence cost national economies dearly in health care cost, lost productivity and law enforcement.

Nepal also has challenges to tackle suicide cases. In 2021/22, suicide was the second most common crime recorded in the country. The 6,792 cases of suicides recorded last fiscal year was 14.48 per cent of total crimes.

The WHO suggests that the countries and their authorities are aware about what needs to be done, so they should implement those effective measures across countries and communities to save lives.

Speaking to The Rising Nepal, Nepal Police spokesperson Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIGP) Tek Prasad Rai has regularly insisted that Nepal Police has been conducting awareness programmes on crimes as well as injury prevention.

Nepal Police conducted a total of 32,285 awareness programmes in collaboration with the community in 2021/22.

The Kathmandu Valley Traffic Police Office (KVTPO) informed that they have been taking necessary steps to prevent accidents.

“We are trying to implement speed limit strictly to prevent road accidents. We have also been conducting awareness programmes for students and public on different occasions,” said Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Rajendra Prasad Bhatta, KVTPO spokesperson.

Since December, the KVTPO has said it has enforced speed limit of 50 kmph for ring roads and major highways and lowered to 40 kmph in built-up areas and up to 10-20 kmph if there are schools and hospitals nearby.

The WHO says that Spain has been able to improve road safety by setting the default speed limit for cities at 30 kmph.

“We are doing our best from our side. There should be similar effort from other concerned authorities. There are several stakeholders but we lack proper coordination,” said DIGP Rai.

According to DIGP Rai, authorities should always focus on preventing such incidents. Since victims of injuries and violence are often people from low-income families, experts suggest conducting programmes for prevention and care, building capacities, and advocating for greater attention to underserved communities.

The WHO has also advised the countries to improve health sector even in rural areas to provide treatment at the earliest to people injured from accidents or violence.