Around 30 to 35 deaths linked to accidents are being reported daily, according to the Ministry of Health.

Speaking at a media briefing held at the Health Promotion Bureau today, Dr Samitha Siritunga, a specialist from the Non-Communicable Diseases Unit, revealed that between 10,000 to 12,000 fatalities occur annually in Sri Lanka due to various types of accidents — a situation that poses a significant burden on the national economy.

Dr Siritunga noted that while the total number of accidents and hospitalisations has declined since 2019, largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, accidents remain the leading cause of hospital admissions at state hospitals.

He said that before 2019, annual accident-related hospitalisations were at 1.3 million. That figure has now dropped to around 1 million, but the downward trend may not last.

“If the current trend continues, we are likely to see an increase of another 200,000 to 300,000 accident-related hospital admissions in the next five to ten years,” he warned.

Dr Siritunga stressed the urgent need for a coordinated national programme to address and reverse this trend.