Two-thirds of road crash victims die before reaching hospitals: Study

Two-thirds of people injured in road accidents die before reaching the hospitals mainly due to the lack of adequate emergency medical care in Bangladesh, according to a study.

The first hour is critical for the medical care provider of the accident victim. At this time, if the injured people are given proper treatment, the mortality rate of the injured people will decrease and they will recover quickly, said the study published on Sunday.  

Prof Dr. Md. Atiqul Haque, dean of the Preventive and Social Medicine Faculty of BSMMU, conducted the research and shared the findings at a workshop titled 'Formulating Protocol for Emergency Services for Road Crash Victims.'

Every year around the world, 1.3 million people die in road accidents and 20 to 50 million people are injured in road accidents. Most of the people are from low and middle-income countries, his research paper added.

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) organised the workshop where Prof Dr. Vice-Chancellor Md. Sharfuddin Ahmed spoke as the chief guest.

Road construction contractors should come forward to form a fund to ensure emergency medical care for the injured, said the VC.

To get emergency health care, health insurance like in developed countries is necessary. The patients can be treated free of charge in any emergency if they have health insurance, he added.

Road Safety Act must be implemented effectively. Due to legal complications, common people are afraid to come forward for the rescue work of people suffering from heart attacks, he observed.

He also said that one of the causes of road accidents is the eye diseases of transport workers, especially cataracts, blurred vision, physical illness and disability due to excessive and prolonged work.

In addition to proper training of these transport workers, regular physical check-ups are also carried out. Eye problems should be checked at least twice a year, he suggested.

Speakers at the event also said that as the number of roads and highways in the country increases, the risk of accidents also increases as well, and the overall communication system increases. Keeping this in mind, appropriate measures should be taken for accident prevention, mitigation and remediation, they suggested.

Md. Akhtaruzzaman, additional secretary, of the public health division, spoke as the special guest while the chairman of Safe Road Movement and film actor Ilias Kanchan was also present.

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