Road accidents the leading cause of death in Sri Lanka: Health Ministry

Colombo: Fatal road accidents in Sri Lanka kill up to 12,000 people yearly or about two people every 90 minutes, the Health Ministry has said, urging the public to be more careful.

About 10,000-12,000 people in Sri Lanka die annually due to accidents which have become the leading cause of death in the economically productive age group between 15 and 44 years of age, said Dr Samitha Sirithunga, Consultant Community Physician at the Department of Non-Communicable Diseases of the Health Ministry.

“Four people lose their lives due to accidents every three hours,” Sirithunga said. “One out of five Sri Lankans face an accident requiring medical treatment once a year,” Sirithunga was quoted as saying by the Economy Next news portal on Wednesday.

It is estimated that about 3 to 4 million people face accidents that need medical attention, he said.

The accidents involve transport, wildlife and animals, the ministry said.

"According to the latest available statistics there were reportedly around 1.3 million cases of injuries through accidents," the Daily Mirror newspaper quoted Sirithunga.

“Before Covid-19 there was a gradual increase in injuries through accidents and it was more than 1 million. During the pandemic, due to the strict restrictions, there was a reduction of all admissions to the hospitals,” he said.

He also urged the health authorities to educate the public about proper first-aid practices and general safety guidelines.

“The government will save a huge amount of money if it works to prevent accidents,” Sirithunga said.

In 2022, out of 19,740 road accidents reported in Sri Lanka, 2,371 were fatal accidents, the Daily News newspaper quoted the annual data from the Police Media Unit.

According to the data, the majority of serious injuries and deaths were caused due to motorcycle accidents. The number of people who died last year due to accidents was 2,485.