COLOMBO, July 7 (Xinhua) -- Accidents hospitalize one in seven Sri Lankans each year, said a minister on Monday, which marked the beginning of the national accident prevention week.
Addressing a press conference in Colombo, Minister of Health and Mass Media Nalinda Jayatissa said about six or seven Sri Lankans meet with accidents that need hospitalization each minute, and the government spends large sums of money to treat them.
He noted that of the roughly 145,000 Sri Lankans who die each year, about 12,000 lose their lives to accidents, adding that about 70 percent of those who die from accidents succumb to their injuries before they reach hospital. ■
