The Director of Planning and Programmes at the NRSC, Ing. David Osafo Adonteng who was speaking in an interview in Tema as part of the World Day of Remembrance to honour road crash victims, noted with concern the shear indiscipline and reckless driving which is a contributory factor to the surge in road fatalities in every election year.
He said as at the end of October this year, 1,700 people have lost their lives through road crashes in the country and worried that if care is not taken and with the elections and festive season fast approaching the death toll on the country’s roads will soon increase.
Surge
Ing. Adonteng said every election year has recorded an increase in the number of gruesome road accidents. Some factors accounting for high fatalities in election years were the mass movement people, high speed, driving under the influence of alcohol and convoy movements.
This unfortunate situation, he said, required commitment from all political parties to champion the cause of road safety and help control road crashes in the country.
The World Remembrance Day is a global initiative that is intended to respond to the great need of road crash victims for public recognition of their loss and suffering.
Staff of the NRSC in the Greater Accra Region and their stakeholders, namely Puma energy and S.O.Frimpong Transport Limited joined the congregation of the Tema Joint Church to pray and thank God for the lives of accident victims both living and dead.
They also visited the accident centre of the Tema General Hospital, (TGH)where they donated assorted items including, wheels chairs, stretchers, walking aides, bandages, clutches, disinfectants and food items to support the facility.
Safety measures
He also called on all road users including drivers and pedestrians to speak up against reckless driving- over-speeding and drunk-driving. He further cautioned motorists against drunk driving and riding motorcycles without crush helmets.
Ing. Adonteng also appealed to the government to resource the Tema General Hospital, with the needed logistics to enable the facility handle trauma and orthopaedic cases that is recorded in that facility.
Dr. Lawrence Ofori Boadu, Emergency Medicine Specialist at the TGH indicated that the hospital due to its strategic location, receives a lot of trauma cases, unfortunately due to the inadequacy of space and logistics, they are forced to referred them to either 37 Military Hospital or Korle-Bu.
The TGH is the major health facility serving about three municipal assemblies including the Tema Metropolis. The accident and emergency centre yet the emergency center is, most of the time, dysfunctional.
He said some of the challenges confronting the facility were the absence of specialists such as orthopedic and trauma surgeons and inadequate ambulances to help evacuate victims were of major concerns and appealed to the government and stakeholders to equip the centre with a dedicated ambulance to enhance service delivery.
OKADA MENANCE
Dr Ofori Boadu also raised alarm over the sudden upsurge in motorcycle accidents especially in the Ashaiman area which is brought to the facility. This he attributed to reckless riding and called for sanity on the road to avoid needless accidents resulting in premature deaths.
The Manager of the Accident Centre at the Tema General Hospital, Mr Ernest Nuuf Awinimi disclosed that as at September this year, the unit recorded 937 cases. He indicated that out of those cases, 476 involved road accidents, 212 were domestic accisdents, 89 were related to industrial accidents, 148 were assault related while 12 were burns and abscess related.
-END-
Writer’s email: benjamin.glover@graphic.com.gh
Pix: Benjamin Xornam Glover
The Director of Planning and Programmes at the NRSC, Ing. David Osafo Adonteng, handing over the items to Dr. Lawrence Ofori Boadu, Emergency Medicine Specialist at the TGH
NUMBER CRUNCH
1,700 -people passed away in road crashes as at October 2016.
QUICK READ
National Road Safety Commission observe Remembrance Day to honour road crash victims
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