Training course for injury management opens in Kumasi

Kumasi, May 29, GNA - A four-day multi-sectoral training course on injury control opened in Kumasi on Monday. The course, which comes in the wake of the rampant road accidents and their subsequent fatalities in the country, forms part of efforts to improve care and control of injuries resulting from road and other accidents in the country.

It will also identify ways to strengthen the trauma care system, which includes pre-hospital and hospital based care to enhance the ability to conduct courses and training on injury control for staff at work places. The School of Medical Sciences of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and the Directorate of Surgery of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in collaboration with the University of Washington in the USA are organizing it.

Personnel from the security services, health institutions, transportation and road safety organizations, civil society groups and other urban, engineering and infrastructural planning institutions, whose work impact directly on incidence of injuries are attending the course.

Speaking at the opening, Dr Richard Winfred Anane, Minister for Transportation pointed out that, road accidents had now become a public health issue, which must be tackled from all angles. He said the burden of injuries especially road traffic accidents and its associated morbidities and mortalities in Ghana were worrisome to the government.

Dr Anane revealed that about two per cent of the nation's gross domestic products were expended on the consequences of road traffic accidents alone, adding that, on average, each injured person spent about 550,000 cedis on treatment.

He said research had revealed that food production among some households in rural areas had also reduced, while many families had incurred debts as a result of injuries.

The Minister said there was the need to prioritise the evaluation, understanding and management of the accident burden at the individual, communal and national levels and increase the political and popular will for road safety and other injury prevention work.

Dr Anane said the government had taken initiatives to reduce health care burden and provided facilities for injury victims.

These included the establishment of the National Health Insurance Scheme, the introduction of the National Ambulance Service, National Road Safety Strategy, enactment of new road traffic law, the construction of an ultra-modern accident centre at KATH, as well as other support to the police MTTU and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA).

He commended the University of Washington for its support and hoped the course would help increase the capacities of stakeholders to research into injury control and safety. Professor Charles Mock, Director of Harbour View Injury Centre of the University of Washington, said the training course would help the participants to research into injury management and safety issues in the Ghanaian society.

He said the recent spate of road accidents in the country called for a multi-sectoral approach to injury management in order to reduce the suffering of the victims.

Professor Peter Donkor of the Directorate of Surgery of KATH, called for an effective road safety campaign messages, especially during the world cup period to help reduce accidents in the country. 29 May 06