Infants were bulk of ER patients in 2021

Jamaicans up to age five made the most visits to accident and emergency departments at hospitals across the island last year, with a total of 17,109 visits.

Of that number, 9,875 were males and 7,234 were females, according to data published in the Economic and Social Survey Jamaica 2021.

Some 83,798 Jamaicans were seen for intentional injuries, unintentional injuries and other emergencies over the same period.

Intentional injuries refer to those actions taken with purposeful intent, against oneself or others, and lead to damage, disability, or death.

Conversely, unintentional injuries are those actions that occur without purposeful intent and include falls, burns, road traffic crashes and drowning.

Of the total injuries reported, 43.1 per cent were classified as unintentional, 9.9 per cent as intentional, and 47 per cent as other emergencies.

Among children under five years, 59 were seen for sexual assault, 145 for blunt injuries, 16 for gunshot wounds and seven for intentional lacerations.

Another 3,758 children in the same age group were seen for unintentional injuries like burns, poisoning, motor vehicle accidents, accidental lacerations, bites and falls. From that group of injuries, the majority of children – or 1,848 – were seen for falls.

In the category of other emergencies, 5,555 males and 7, 569 females were seen for asthma, gastroenteritis, and upper and lower respiratory tract infections. Lower respiratory tract infections and asthma recorded the largest proportion of cases.

The survey – published by the Planning Institute of Jamaica – outlined that, for the period under review, both intentional and unintentional injuries were significant contributors to local morbidity and mortality rates.

Further, it said provisional data provided by the Ministry of Health and Wellness showed that the most frequently reported intentional injuries were blunt force injuries (3,291), intentional lacerations (2,093) and stab wounds (1,129).

“Most intentional injuries occurred among males from the following age groups: 30-44 years (1,605), 20-29 years (1,480) and 45-64 years (1,214),” the report said.

For unintentional injuries, the main causes were motor vehicle accidents, with 11,688 cases; followed by falls, 10,975; and accidental lacerations, 7,274.

The data revealed that males between 20 and 29 years, 30 and 44 years, and 45 and 64 years recorded the most cases of unintentional injuries.