Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)
Bengaluru, Aug 10: A study report has made the shocking revelation that out of accident victims all over India, school-going children account for 64 percent. Children aged less than 14 form 38 percent of victims, the report stated.
A report released by Underwriters Laboratories, a safety communications firm and National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) at the NIMHANS auditorium on Friday August 9 has provided this statistics. The figures have been arrived at on the basis of safety validation study conducted by the institutions concerned in 131 schools in Bengaluru and Kolar districts for the purpose of raising the safety level at schools. Some of the things the report has brought out are truly alarming.
The study said that there has been a 13 percent increase in the incidents of suffering burn injuries and 19 percent increase in drowning accidents involving school children. Six percent of the children lose lives every year by consuming poison. As much as 12 percent of the child accident victims suffer serious injuries in accidents and suffer from long term disabilities, it added.
Vice president of Underwriters Laboratories, Suresh Sugavanam, speaking after releasing the report, said that injuries to children in India has become part of a steadily growing global problem of children's health. "During the previous decade, five lac children lost their lives. This is a serious problem, and we need to find a long-lasting solution to this problem," he said.
During the safety study survey undertaken, only 50 percent of the schools were found to be following safety norms. It was found that many schools do not have safe buildings and in some schools, the situation is favourable for occurrence of accidents. The team also found that in the areas of many schools, potholes in roads, open wells etc exist.
Director of NIMHANS Prof B N Gangadhar, observed that death, hospitalization and failure of children to perform in life on account of injuries is a subject that has been utterly neglected in India. He said that evidence-based policies and programmes which can be implemented at the grass root level are the needs of the hour.
Commissioner in the department of public instruction Dr K G Jagadish, NIMANS public health centre head Dr G Gururaj, and registrar Prof Shekhar, were present.