In commemorating the International World Drowning Prevention Day, the Sierra Leone Life Saving Society has held their first National Conference on drowning prevention, with community stakeholders, and youths from across the country.
Speaking during the conference the Chairman for the society Patrick Olumide Campbell said their operations are based on drowning prevention, water safety, search rescue learn people how to swim climate changes for which they cannot afford the nation to loose resourceful personnel and citizens.
He added that the conference is geared towards creating awareness to the populace and the country decision makers to commence a collaborative effort that would make Sierra Leone inclusive in the fight against drowning as they understood it as the death challenge in the globe.
Campbell continue to state that the society wants to set the pace for the development of national water safety policies on drowning for which is expected to result to a successful implementation of a community based actions plan with conclusions and recommendations that would make it achievable. Further to say that one of the reasons why drowning has not been treated seriously in Sierra Leone is due to poor data collection in which there are many unaccounted drowning accidents that have been occurring in the remote part of the country, which lead to serious number of deaths most especially at the aquatic areas.
He said the people falling into risk of drowning in the country are caused by flood disasters, inadequate supervision of young children, uncovered or unprotected water supplies or even unsafe water crossing point.
He said even travelling on overcrowded and unmaintained vessels, have destroy lives and that people living in poor communities most time suffers these casualties. But said that in as much these are some of the problems they believe if strategic are put in place a d are implemented in other reduced the risk that drowning pose to the communities lives will be protected and amongst them he said are the teaching of school-age children basic swimming water safety skills, training bystanders in safe rescue, the training of volunteers and lifeguards saying and enforcement of safe boating shipping and ferry regulations, installs barrier controlling to water at the open beach ad wharf communities.
In conclusion, he stated that drowning should be regarded as an important public health issue with major impacts on children and youths. Drowning according to him is a preventable problem by implementing the right strategies pools household community and national land ranging from barrier installation among others preventive methods.
The conference was climates with a sanitisation tours to the beaches and other seas areas.
