National policy on injury prevention and management

A national policy and strategic framework on injury prevention and management has been prepared by the Health Ministry as the country faces an alarming increase in the number of persons suffering from debilitating injuries mainly due to road accidents.

The ministry said the policy was a long-felt need and would provide policy guidance to the national, and provincial authorities and other stakeholders in the effective implementation of the National Injury Prevention Programme.

Injuries are the leading cause of hospitalisation and the 11th leading cause of hospital deaths in Sri Lanka. A majority of the injury victims are in the productive age group of 15 to 44 and the incidents cause

devastating consequences to the injured person and the lives of family members, and the community.

The Framework will include primary prevention which intends to reduce the exposure to risk and prevent injuries from occurring, through the adoption of safer behaviour patterns and safer environments. The Framework's secondary prevention seeks to provide early detection and appropriate management of an injury to prevent more serious consequences such as pre-hospital care and emergency trauma care.

There will also be tertiary prevention which would involve interventions to reduce the likelihood of disability and management of disabilities due to injuries.