How to keep your kids safe from heights as cases of children suffering from such injuries rises

More than 4,000 children have suffered injuries from falls over the past six years, with 151 deaths recorded either before or upon arrival at AIIMS, reported TOI.

In response to these alarming figures, AIIMS will host a round table symposium on Saturday under the 'Safe Balcony, Safe Child Initiative,' part of the ongoing 8th AIIMS Annual Neurotrauma Conference that began Thursday. The discussion will focus on preventive measures, especially targeting balcony-related falls among children. Twenty international experts are set to participate.

Professor Deepak Gupta from the neurosurgery department shared detailed data: in 2018, 680 children were brought to the trauma centre after falling from heights. Of these, 69 were admitted to neurosurgery and 22 to other departments, including trauma and orthopaedics for limb and abdominal injuries. Nine children were declared dead on arrival, 13 died during hospitalisation, and 78 were discharged.

Following the addition of 25–30 new beds, neurosurgery admissions rose to 103 children (aged 0–11 years) in 2022 and 120 in 2023. The total number of fatalities across the six-year period stood at 150, including those declared dead on arrival or in emergency. Survivors often required multiple surgeries, prolonged hospitalisation, and were left with permanent disabilities. One-third of admitted children had suffered severe head injuries.

Despite the launch of the ‘Safe Balcony, Safe Child’ campaign in 2022, there has been no drop in head trauma cases, with 700–800 such cases still being reported at the AIIMS emergency each year. Professor Gupta referenced the US-based ‘Kids Can’t Fly’ campaign from the 1970s, which led to a 96% reduction in such incidents over 16 years, suggesting that similar success is possible in India.

How to protect your kid?

• A minimum balcony height of one metre
  
  
• Vertical instead of horizontal railing bars
  
  
• Gaps between vertical bars not exceeding four inches
  
  
• Removal of furniture from balconies
  
  
• Mandatory adult supervision
  

Most cases treated at the trauma centre originated from NCR regions including Greater Noida, Ghaziabad, Mewat, and Nuh.

Professor Amit Gupta of AIIMS pointed out that the issue is not limited to urban areas, as patients also come from rural regions within Delhi and the NCR. He highlighted the urgent need for trauma databases at all trauma centres to inform policy decisions and improve prevention strategies.

Currently, the AIIMS trauma centre leads an ICMR National Task Force project involving eight centres—such as KGMU Lucknow, AIIMS Patna, JIPMER, and CMC—to record and analyse data. This effort supports quality improvements, policy development, and the design of preventive measures.