Credit: Jirapa Fm
According to statistics from the Ghana Police Service and the St. Joseph's Hospital in Jirapa Municipality, the rate of Road Traffic Accidents has been increasing at an alarming rate despite several efforts to curb the situation.
The Medical Superintendent of St. Joseph's Hospital, Dr. Daniel Nii Armah Tetteh, has identified alcohol consumption by motorists as a major cause of the situation.
He further adds that 70 to 80 percent of accident casualties reported to the health facility are caused by alcohol intake.
Dr. Armah also reveals that over 90 percent of the accidents involved motorcycles, which is avoidable and preventable.
The peak period for these accidents is during the weekends, festive seasons like Christmas, Easter, Sallah, funerals, political campaigns, and rallies.
He also notes that the situation can become so alarming that it can bring the emergency unit of the health facility to a standstill when it is overwhelmed with injuries at the expense of other cases that also require the necessary requisite attention.
St. Joseph's Hospital is the only referral health facility in the Jirapa Municipality, catering to the health needs of the whole municipality and beyond.
The large number of patients caused by accidents creates stressful situations for both the facility and staff, putting undue pressure on both, limiting productivity.