Road Accidents, Major Cause Of Death In Nigeria

Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, Minister of Health, says in Abuja that road accidents remained the highest killer in the country.

Chukwu made the declaration while briefing newsmen yesterday at the pre-launch of the UN decade of action on road safety.

He said road traffic injuries in Nigeria constituted major cause of morbidity and mortality.

“It is only right that through the effort of the World Health Organisation and many stakeholders round the globe, the United Nations, in brave and courageous manner, decided to declare 10 full years considered as the decade of action on road safety,’’ he said.

The minister said the country was committed to ensuring that it halted road carnage, which had immobilised many of the mobile and active productive people in the country and consequently retarding the economy.

Chukwu stressed that it was dangerous for any nation to lose its workforce to auto crashes.

He urged the WHO to include trauma in its list of non-communicable diseases as it led to other diseases.

Chukwu called for good vehicle and road maintenance culture in the country and the licensing of only qualified drivers.

“We need safe drivers, and often it is not realised that the health sector can play a large role. We advocate that there must be a thorough medical examination of people before they are issued licences to drive,” he said.

Chukwu urged the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to have proper insurance coverage for victims of road traffic accidents as this would go a long way in helping them.

The minister said the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital had been upgraded to a Centre of Excellence for trauma.

In an address of welcome, Mr Linus Awute, Permanent Secretary in the ministry said road traffic injuries remained among the three leading causes of death of people between the ages of five years and 44 years.

Awute, who was represented by Dr Folake Ademole-Majekodunmi, Director, Special Projects, said unless immediate action was taken, road traffic accidents had been predicted to be one of the leading global causes of death by 2030.

Awute said the UN decision to initiate a decade of action on road safety could not come at a better time than now when road traffic accidents were assuming an alarming rate.

He added that the trend must be halted to attain two of the eight Millennium Development Goals aimed at reducing infant mortality and improving maternal mortality.

Also speaking, Dr David Okello, WHO Country Representative said road traffic injuries killed nearly 1.3 million people annually.

He said if left unchecked, road crashes would become the fifth leading cause of death by 2030.

Okello commended the FRSC for its efforts to compile accident statistics as the country had no comprehensive statistics in the past.

“From the figures available, it is clear to all that road traffic accidents are causing an unacceptable level of deaths and injuries and placed a major economic burden on the nation,’’ he said.

Okello said the objective of the Decade of Action for road safety was to change fundamental perceptions about the problem.