To reduce high accident death toll:

Neuro trauma units built

Chaminda PERERA

The Health Ministry in a bid to reduce the high death toll from road accidents has built neuro trauma units at a number of hospitals in the areas where there are a large number of road accidents occur.

This step was taken after a study that showed a number of accident victims had died on the way while being brought to the Colombo National Hospital from distant places. Those injured in road accidents will no longer be taken to the Colombo National Hospital for emergency treatment with the completion of this program. According to Health Ministry official, more accidents have occurred on the Kandy, Galle, Negombo and Colombo – Badulla high ways during the past few years and a significant number of people succumbed to their injuries while they were being taken to the Colombo National Hospital for emergency treatment.

He said the construction of neuro trauma units in the Kurunegala and Karapitiya Teaching Hospitals has been completed and other General and Teaching hospitals in the accident prone areas will soon get neuro trauma units which consist latest medical equipment such as digital x-ray machines.

The Health Ministry official said the construction of Neuro Trauma Unit at the Colombo National Hospital has completed costing over Rs. 1500 million and it will cater to the accident victims islandwide till the construction of other centres are completed, he said.

Over 2000 people die and 80,000 – 100,000 people sustain injuries due to road accidents every year in Sri Lanka and 2 percent and 5 percent of injured become permanently disabled due to these accidents, he said.