Prevention of spinal cord damages

26 October 2011 09:06 am

The Health Ministry has accepted a request made by the Asian Action for the Prevention of Spinal Cord Damage (AAPSC) to formulate a National Action Plan to prevent spinal cord damages during accidents.

The request has come at the conclusion of the AAPSC international conference at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute attended by medical professionals specialised in spinal cord treatment, policy planners and physicians.

The AAPSC conference recommended that the policies and spinal cord treatment methods must be formulated according to the health, cultural and religious environment of a country with emphasis on road accidents victims.

Many experts who addressed the conference stressed the importance of giving training in the handling of road accident victims to STF personnel and traffic policemen. The medical experts pointed out that the damage to the spinal cord during road accidents get worse if untrained personnel handle injured persons in evacuating and transporting road accident victims to hospital.

It was also revealed that the incidences of spinal cord damage in accidents are on the rise while the recovery period takes a long period. The cost to the Health Ministry to treat a spinal cord victim for three months amounts to Rs.350,000. (Sandun A. Jayasekera)