Date: 29/10/2003
Source: Western Cape Provincial Government
Title: Meyer: W Cape workshop on prevention of unintentional injuries to children
CLOSING REMARKS BY WESTERN CAPE MINISTER OF HEALTH, MR PIET MEYER, AT THE PROVINCIAL WORKSHOP ON THE PREVENTION OF UNINTENTIONAL INJURIES TO CHILDREN, River Club, Observatory, 29 October 2003
I know I am speaking to a group of dedicated people. People who have walked or are walking the extra mile to gain an even better insight into the very household safety problems highlighted during this two-day workshop. I thank you all for your dedication, your personal sacrifice, your care and love for children, your contribution towards the draft of a provincial plan of action and your help in establishing a structure to coordinate and carry this through.
I know what I am going to say today is meant for the people out there who did not attend this workshop. It is a message that needs to be conveyed. I thank the media for their help in this regard. Please use all the information in my speech whether I say it here or not.
We have just listened to Christopher Maqashu who is a 15-year old burn survivor with severe scarring. He has been assisted by the efforts of the Fire Children project and staff at the Red Cross Children's Hospital to move from care at St Joseph's Home to reintegrate into a regular school (St George's, Mowbray). He has also recently attended the first Burn Camp to be held in South Africa where a group of children, almost all burn survivors, spent a week together learning and having fun.
This kind of process is regarded as highly constructive in the psychosocial rehabilitation of such individuals. We recently hosted in Cape Town a visit by the World Burn Foundation who pioneers the establishment of these camps and other networking and support systems for burn survivors across the world. Children like Christopher move on to become active in burns prevention through public talks (e.g. schools) and other 'ambassador' activities.
We need to remind ourselves and we need to place on record that
* Unintentional injuries are the leading cause of non-natural death in South Africa in children under 15 years of age
* Nationally in the 0 - 5 year age group, burns rank as the major cause of death, followed by drowning
* More than a quarter of unintentional injuries occur in those under 20 years, with the 1 - 4 year age group as the most vulnerable
* The majority of injuries to young children occur in and around the child's home (56% of all admissions to Red Cross Hospital trauma unit). These injuries are caused by falls, by poisoning (in particular paraffin, medicines, household cleaning agents and in the rural areas in particular, insecticides) and by burns.
For a small child, beginning to explore the world, the home is a hazardous place. Most burns in small children are caused by scalding from hot liquids and food.
These burns are a particular concern to the department. Approximately three children are admitted to the Red Cross Hospital Burns Unit every day. It must be remembered that these are only the most severe cases and that there are many more cases, which are treated at clinics and other hospitals.
The cost in terms of expenditure is high (R40 million per year at the Red Cross Burns Unit alone). The cost in terms of pain and lifelong scarring, physical and psychological, is immense. Many young burn victims never attend school (or return to school) and suffer social isolation. Some never return to their families or communities. The families themselves can often not come to terms with the consequences of the accident and turn away from reintegrating the child into the household and neighbourhood.
Accidents do not happen - they are caused by negligence and by hazards in the environment. Never forget - every accident is a preventable incident.
The creation of a safe environment depends on three factors which impact on each other:
* Education (skills, knowledge and behaviour)
* Creation and enforcement of safety codes and regulations
* Engineering solutions: design and development of safe appliances, smoke alarms, seat belts, etc.
There is a need to support and intensify efforts to inform caregivers (parents, siblings, older relatives, cr
Source: Western Cape Provincial Government
Title: Meyer: W Cape workshop on prevention of unintentional injuries to children
CLOSING REMARKS BY WESTERN CAPE MINISTER OF HEALTH, MR PIET MEYER, AT THE PROVINCIAL WORKSHOP ON THE PREVENTION OF UNINTENTIONAL INJURIES TO CHILDREN, River Club, Observatory, 29 October 2003
I know I am speaking to a group of dedicated people. People who have walked or are walking the extra mile to gain an even better insight into the very household safety problems highlighted during this two-day workshop. I thank you all for your dedication, your personal sacrifice, your care and love for children, your contribution towards the draft of a provincial plan of action and your help in establishing a structure to coordinate and carry this through.
I know what I am going to say today is meant for the people out there who did not attend this workshop. It is a message that needs to be conveyed. I thank the media for their help in this regard. Please use all the information in my speech whether I say it here or not.
We have just listened to Christopher Maqashu who is a 15-year old burn survivor with severe scarring. He has been assisted by the efforts of the Fire Children project and staff at the Red Cross Children's Hospital to move from care at St Joseph's Home to reintegrate into a regular school (St George's, Mowbray). He has also recently attended the first Burn Camp to be held in South Africa where a group of children, almost all burn survivors, spent a week together learning and having fun.
This kind of process is regarded as highly constructive in the psychosocial rehabilitation of such individuals. We recently hosted in Cape Town a visit by the World Burn Foundation who pioneers the establishment of these camps and other networking and support systems for burn survivors across the world. Children like Christopher move on to become active in burns prevention through public talks (e.g. schools) and other 'ambassador' activities.
We need to remind ourselves and we need to place on record that
* Unintentional injuries are the leading cause of non-natural death in South Africa in children under 15 years of age
* Nationally in the 0 - 5 year age group, burns rank as the major cause of death, followed by drowning
* More than a quarter of unintentional injuries occur in those under 20 years, with the 1 - 4 year age group as the most vulnerable
* The majority of injuries to young children occur in and around the child's home (56% of all admissions to Red Cross Hospital trauma unit). These injuries are caused by falls, by poisoning (in particular paraffin, medicines, household cleaning agents and in the rural areas in particular, insecticides) and by burns.
For a small child, beginning to explore the world, the home is a hazardous place. Most burns in small children are caused by scalding from hot liquids and food.
These burns are a particular concern to the department. Approximately three children are admitted to the Red Cross Hospital Burns Unit every day. It must be remembered that these are only the most severe cases and that there are many more cases, which are treated at clinics and other hospitals.
The cost in terms of expenditure is high (R40 million per year at the Red Cross Burns Unit alone). The cost in terms of pain and lifelong scarring, physical and psychological, is immense. Many young burn victims never attend school (or return to school) and suffer social isolation. Some never return to their families or communities. The families themselves can often not come to terms with the consequences of the accident and turn away from reintegrating the child into the household and neighbourhood.
Accidents do not happen - they are caused by negligence and by hazards in the environment. Never forget - every accident is a preventable incident.
The creation of a safe environment depends on three factors which impact on each other:
* Education (skills, knowledge and behaviour)
* Creation and enforcement of safety codes and regulations
* Engineering solutions: design and development of safe appliances, smoke alarms, seat belts, etc.
There is a need to support and intensify efforts to inform caregivers (parents, siblings, older relatives, cr
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