Doha, Qatar: Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) aims to prevent drowning incidents in the country by educating the public on simple steps that can prevent such incidents.
As summer heatwave keeps on, more people seek relief in the water and HMC is creating awareness to promote safe swimming. In this regard, HMC has issued safety tips to follow, especially for children, when going to beaches or swimming pools to avoid the risk of drowning.
It has urged parents not to leave children unattended near water or swimming pools, especially children under two years of age, as a child of that age can drown in as little as 5cm of water within a few seconds.
Even if the kids can swim, it is advised to have adult supervision as a safety measure.
“Make sure they are wearing the appropriate swimwear for each age group and ensure that life jackets, rescue and floating equipment are available. It’s preferred to wear a swimming float,” said HMC.
HMC also recommended parents and adults to sign up for swimming classes with a certified trainer. As a precautionary measure, it suggests to swim with a partner and avoid swimming alone to get help in emergency situations.
HMC also suggested sea-goers to be aware of the weather conditions.
“It is essential that you keep an eye on the weather condition, and avoid swimming in strong currents, rip currents, large waves, or thunderstorms and pay attention to any warning issued by the Qatar Meteorology Department,” says HMC.
According to the World Health organization (WHO), an estimated 236,000 people die from drowning every year worldwide, and drowning is among the ten leading causes of death for children aged 5-14 years.
Drowning is the third leading cause of unintentional injury death, accounting for 7 percent of all injury-related deaths.
In Qatar, about 25 individuals die from drowning events every year; and 30 percent of them are children.
“Children aged 10 years or under, especially those younger than four years, suffer the most severe physical and psychological long-term effects of these drowning events,” HMC has said.
To highlight the tragic and profound impact of drowning on families and communities and offer life-saving solutions to prevent it, World Drowning Prevention Day is marked on July 25 annually.
