Parents urged to guard children against disabilities

PESHAWAR: A doctor here on Sunday urged the parents to prevent their under-aged children from using motorcycles to minimize the chances of disabilities in case of road accidents.

A handout said that Dr Syed Muhammad Ilyas, Chief Executive Officer of the Paraplegic Centre Peshawar, made these remarks while answering questions at a programme of the Pakhtunkhwa Radio. The programme was recorded to mark the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

He said the average age of people was continuously increasing due to the revolutionary advancement in the medical science. 

Dr Ilyas Syed said that if the principles of proper diet and exercise were adopted like developed nations, then most diseases and medications including diabetes and blood pressure can be avoided in Pakistan. He said that cousin marriages and discouraging children from motorcycling can prevent disabilities.

Dr Ilyas said the use of motorcycle helmets and strict adherence to traffic laws can also prevent people from becoming disabled. He said that in Pakistan, there were millions of patients with severe head injuries in various accidents and thousands of disabled people suffered due to spinal cord injuries, but there was a serious lack of effective treatment facilities for them, adding that the government should focus on it.