On a day when the world celebrates the efforts to protect lives from drowning, Saudi Arabia proves its leadership and permanent existence in the forefront at all levels, with its first rank globally in fulfilling water safety and rescue standards from drowning, according to the World Health Organization classification.
This rank that Saudi Arabia obtained did not coincide with it, but rather is the fruit of institutional work and national integration with the participation of all sectors, through which it resulted in reducing deaths related to drowning by more than 17 percent, and avoiding an economic burden that exceeds 800 million riyals (212 million dollars), by reducing injuries, and reducing pressure on the health system, which made it advance to many countries around the world, and record their remarkable presence in Preserving the human being.
July 25 of each year coincides with the “International Day of Sank Prevention”, which was approved by the United Nations General Assembly in 2021; With the aim of drawing attention to one of the most deadly silent disasters, according to the description of the World Health Organization, which calls for the importance of intensifying efforts in all countries, to reduce drowning cases by implementing a package of programs.
In this context, the Saudi Minister of Health, Fahd Al -Jaljel, stressed that “the prevention of drowning represents a strategic pillar in the health system” of his country, and a sincere expression of its deep commitment to protecting lives, in line with the targets of “Vision 2030”, which seeks through the transformation of the health sector to prevent, and raise the average expected life of the citizen.
The minister added that “Saudi Arabia has established preventive policies, until it has been in the lead globally in combating drowning,” noting that deaths decreased by 17 percent, “which reflects the impact of institutional work and the integration of national efforts in protecting human beings.”
This celebration comes as an extension of the Kingdom’s approach to building integrated preventive policies, starting with the adoption of the national policy for the prevention of drowning in 2021, under the supervision of a permanent committee that includes 12 government agencies led by the Public Health Authority “Prevention”, and the implementation of 12 national initiatives, which contributed significantly to reducing injuries and deaths, while expanding community awareness programs, and promoting preventive education in schools and coastal areas.
For his part, the CEO of the Authority, Dr. Abdullah Al -Qawzani, said in a statement to Asharq Al -Awsat that the adoption of the Council of Ministers, “The World Day for the Prevention of drowning”, embodies the interest of the Saudi leadership in protecting lives, and reflects the Kingdom’s commitment to enhance the prevention within the health curriculum in all policies.
Al -Quwazani explained that Saudi Arabia, through the “policy of preventing drowning”, established the first national system of water safety and rescue, led by the authority through a permanent committee that includes 12 government agencies, through which preventive interventions based on scientific proofs, based on a unified system to monitor the cases of drowning.
He pointed out that these efforts resulted in the reduction of the death rates resulting from drowning by more than 17 percent, and to avoid an economic burden estimated at about 800 million Saudi riyals, in addition to Saudi Arabia in the global export to fulfill the water safety and rescue safety standards, according to the report of the World Health Organization.
He stressed that what has been achieved is the fruit of the integration of national efforts, and the sensing of the concerned authorities responsibility for protecting lives, in addition to the pivotal role of societal awareness, as the first line of defense, stressing the commission’s continued implementation of comprehensive awareness programs aimed at various groups of society, to consolidate the culture of water safety, and make prevention a daily participatory behavior and practice.
Returning to World Day, reports issued by the World Health Organization indicate that approximately 236 thousand to 300,000 people lose their lives annually due to drowning, at a rate of more than 30 deaths per hour, and more than 90 percent of these cases are in low and medium -income countries, while children under the age of five are more vulnerable, as they constitute about a quarter of annual deaths.
Reports show that drowning is the fourth cause of death between children between the ages of 1 and 4, and the third for the age group from 5 to 14 years, which reflects its danger to small age groups. Despite the danger of numbers, the organization indicates a decrease in the global drowning rate by 38 percent since 2000, as a result of increasing awareness and applying preventive measures.
In its report issued on the occasion of this day, the organization called for the adoption of effective strategies for prevention, which includes the education of children swimming, providing safe barriers about water sources, and increasing community awareness, pointing out that drowning “an issue that can be completely avoided if the right will and procedures are available.”
These effective strategies adopted by Saudi Arabia from an early date, which resulted in this celebration of the great achievement that is not limited to symbolism, but is manifested in real numbers and effective measures, confirming that human life remains a priority, and that smart policies and early planning are able to reduce silent disasters before they occur.
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