Violence and Injury Prevention – Challenges For Health Promotion in Macedonia

Abstract

World Health Organization estimated 5.1 million deaths from injuries in 2002 in the world or 9% of all deaths, disproportionately affecting the young. These are a leading cause of premature death and DALYs at age of 5 to 45 years. In Europe injuries are third leading cause of death, after cardiovascular diseases and cancers with 800,000 or 8.3%. Injuries can be avoided and prevented. Many effective strategies can be used to target high risk groups and to reduce health consequences for victims of injuries. The health sector can play a key role in injury and violence prevention and control, by providing care and services to victims, prevention and advocacy, and engaging in partnerships with other sectors and across all levels of government and society. Decreasing the burden from injuries will require political commitment across all government levels and with this the allocation of adequate resources to take these activities forward. Future challenges for injury and violence prevention and health promotion, that the countries including Macedonia would face are: developing national action plans for unintentional injury and violence prevention, forming an intersectoral injury prevention committee, improving national surveillance system, strengthening national capacity to respond to the burden of injuries and violence through both primary prevention and care, promoting evidence-based practice by facilitating the exchange of knowledge and experience across the Region, recognize gaps in knowledge and prioritize research and development in both primary prevention and care, as well as studies on costs.