Accidents alone land million Lankans in hospitals each year

About a million Sri Lankans were admitted to hospitals due to accidents annually, Minister of Industries and Minister of Health, Ramesh Pathirana told parliament on Tuesday (30).

Dr. Pathirana said there are altogether about six million hospital admissions each year in Sri Lanka.According to the Minister around 30 Sri Lankans die daily due to accidents, and 12,000 die annually due to road and domestic accidents.

Pathirana said non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are another major health challenge Sri Lanka will have to face in the future.About 30 percent of people under 35 are suffering from high blood pressure, while 15 percent of the same age group is suffering from diabetes, he said.Ten percent of Sri Lankan children were obese, the Minister said.