NATIONAL ROADMAP
A national roadmap is now in the works to stamp out the common causes of such injuries. The move is being led by NUH and KKH.
Some focus areas for the roadmap include enforcement and education, said Adjunct Assistant Professor Raj Menon, centre director of NUH’s National University Centre for Trauma.
“For example, looking at workplaces, one of the main areas we were discussing at the conference was simple things like evacuation, calling an ambulance, calling 995 when you get involved in an accident in the first place,” he told CNA’s Singapore Tonight programme.
“(It’s also about) teaching the workers on the ground and the supervisors how to manage injuries as they occur. This helps to reduce the burden of injuries which are occurring.”
He noted that this does not have a single solution but instead involves a “whole-of-government, whole-of-society approach”.
This includes drivers and vehicle passengers adhering to safety rules and precautions, like wearing seatbelts, added Adj Asst Prof Menon.
The common denominator among paediatric trauma cases is that they are “highly preventable”, said Dr Ronald Tan, senior consultant at KKH’s department of emergency medicine.
He recommended, for example, that parents install window grilles if they live in high-rise flats, in order to prevent children or others from falling out of the windows.
“We really want to emphasise to everyone that prevention is always better than cure, so let’s have that safety mindset,” added Dr Tan, who also chairs the KKH Injury Prevention Workgroup.
Professor Kenneth Mak, director-general of health at the Ministry of Health, told reporters at Tuesday’s conference that more can be done even as efforts to prevent injuries are ongoing.
The conference brought together government partners – like the Health and Manpower Ministries – and the Road Safety Council.
“Ultimately, we seek to improve safety in the areas (of) paediatric, workplace and road safety at this conference,” Prof Mak added.
“With sharing of knowledge and best practices and through partnerships, we can prevent all preventable injuries.”
