AIIMS-Delhi launches awareness campaign on balcony fall deaths among children

AIIMS-New Delhi has launched a 'Safe Balcony, Safe Child campaign to spread awareness about children less than 12 years of age getting hurt falling from height.

New Delhi:AIIMS-New Delhi has launched a 'Safe Balcony, Safe Child' campaign to spread awareness about children less than 12 years of age getting hurt falling from height. In India, one person dies from head injury every three minutes and 30 per cent of those head injuries are noted in children, Professor of Neurosurgery at AIIMS, Dr Deepak Gupta said.

Of all head injuries seen in children, over 60 per cent result due to fall from height, Dr Gupta told PTI. According to an epidemiological study conducted among children less than 16 years of age at AIIMS, a total of 1,000 children with head injuries were admitted at AIIMS trauma centre over a period of four years, Dr Shefali Gulati, Professor of Paediatric Neurology said.

"Boys were two times more affected with head injuries than girls and over 60 per cent of them were due to fall from height/balcony," Dr Gulati said. Most children came from low socio-economic status where one of the parents was away at work and the other parent was elsewhere during the accident.

The study was authored by Dr Gupta and Dr Gulati. Fall from height is the biggest killer amongst children in India. Dr Gupta advised that balcony railing height should be made "twice the height of children in the family." "Children often end up climbing the railing of the house in the balcony unprotected and fall over many such children die or sustain severe head injuries. Such deaths and injuries are completely preventable," he told PTI.

"Through this campaign we want this message of 'Safe Balcony and Safe Child' to reach each and every household having children aged below 10 years," he said. As part of the campaign, doctors plan to visit schools and hold interactions with students, parents, and teachers and also hold various seminars and competitions for the same.

"We would want more people to join us and make it a national campaign," Dr Gupta said. Fall from height is a very unique pattern of injury seen particularly in India, leading to death and severe handicaps in very young children. One of the simpler measures to make homes safe is putting a net over the railing gaps.

Other ways to prevent such falls is to correct balustrade heights, if needed, put balcony furniture away from railings to prevent their use as a platform for climbing, not using balcony as play area, and supervising children all time (If you are not around please bolt the entrance to the balcony for children). The campaign is supported by the Neurological Society of India as a part of brain injury prevention initiatives. (PTI)

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