Globally, road traffic injuries is the leading cause of death among young people between the ages of fifteen and twenty years and among the top three causes of mortality among people between the ages of fifteen and forty-four years.

According to the World Health Organisation, W.H.O, African Region had the highest rate of fatalities from automobile injuries worldwide at over twenty-six per one hundred thousand population.

In Nigeria, injuries and deaths resulting from highway accident is on the rise and is the country’s third-leading cause of overall deaths, the leading cause of trauma-related deaths and the most common cause of disability.

Recently, the Minister Of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, said over thirty five thousand people lose their lives annually to accidents due to lack of emergency medical services in the country.

Majority of these deaths can be avoided if physical access is provided, when there is primary health centre, a transport and first aid system and financial support are put in place to reduce deaths from accidents.

The situation is challenging as a result of poor traffic infrastructure, poor road design, poor enforcement of traffic rules and regulations, a rapidly growing population and increase in the number of people driving vehicles.

Survivors often endure a diminishing quality of life from deformities and disabilities, post traumatic stress and loss of personal income, in a country not well known for exceptional rehabilitation services.

According to the W.H.O, about 80 billion naira is lost to road accidents annually in the country and this economic cost includes the cost of property and public amenity damaged, the cost of medical treatment, and the cost of productivity. 

With the increasing burden of road traffic accidents on the world economy, the UN General Assembly in 2010 adopted a resolution which proclaimed a decade of action for road safety with the aim of stabilizing and reducing the increasing trend in road traffic fatalities, saving an estimated 5 million lives and guide countries to take concrete national level actions to achieve this goal.

It is in line with this that the Nigerian Minister of Health, said the federal government is coming up with the National Emergency Medical Service System in collaboration with private medical practitioners and the governments of the twenty-four states where the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC’s, 112 emergency call line was already in operation to render ambulance services and save lives.

Dr. Ehanire said the other states would join when the NCC call line had been installed in their areas, adding that, the pilot scheme would be launched in Abuja very soon.

It is pertinent for government at all levels to ensure that emergency call line is installed in all the states to reduce fatalities from road accidents while the necessary stakeholders should be equipped with modern first aid facilities to help save more lives in emergency cases.

Titilayo Kupoliyi

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