PESHAWAR, Jan 20: Ignorance and blind love of parents for their children create behaviour and health problems among their offsprings, sometimes even cause them injures, a doctor has said.

According to Dr Obaidullah, Saeed, a three-year-old boy, is a precious one for his parents as he was born after three girls. They would take every pain to please him. Therefore his father could not tolerate his cries and wanted to appease him.

One day, the doctor said, his father, who is an educated person, produced an old dynamite stick from his store for his loving son and exposed it to fire. The explosive exploded taking away a hand of the son and scarring his face for the rest of his life.

His both eyes were also in danger of permanent loss, but early care of eye surgeons, they were saved.

“Everyday, emergency services in the country receive thousands of children severely injured. Child safety is something very few of us care for. Negligence in child safety is not confined to the poor. It is also rampant in the rich and educated families. Sheer stupidity on part of elders would be more appropriate to blame for this,” said the surgeon, Dr Obaidullah.

He informed that over 50 per cent of the burns and scald victims were children, and of them 75 per cent happened to be less than five years of age. Nearly 90 per cent thermal injuries in children occur from hot liquids, said Dr Obaidullah, adding that parents having hot drinks with the children in laps was an invitation to disaster.

When toddler begin to explore things, pots with hot liquids on tables with tablecloth underneath prove traps for them. Sometimes the toddlers try to hold onto the cloth for support to stand up, and as a result the liquids spill over them, scalding themselves.

Similarly, kitchen are also dangerous for them while cooking is going on. Bathroom is yet another place of scald injuries to the children, especially in winter when hot water is frequently used. Since the kids don not know a difference in hot and cold water, and about mixing of water, they suffer scald injuries.

“In Europe and the US, it is criminal to leave a minor children at home on his or her own. It is indeed dangerous. Therefore, I request to parents do not leave your children at home without any supervision of an older family member,” Dr Obaidullah said.

He also advised elders to guard the children against sharp edges, match sticks, garbage, chemicals, medicines and other items which can play havoc with their lives.