Road Traffic Injuries Globally Claim 5 Million lives Every Year
Workshop on Road Safety Inaugurated
The Union Health Secretary Shri K. Chandramouli today inaugurated a two-day Workshop with stakeholders for developing a Decade Action Plan on Road Safety 2011-2020, at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. The Secretary said that fatal road accidents as also non-fatal but debilitating injuries, caused due to road accidents, lead to no less morbidity, hampering economic development. Secretary said it is only logical thus to avoid loss of life as per a strategic action plan.
The Directorate General of Health Services, Ministry of Health and Family welfare, Government of India has organized the two-day Inter-ministerial Workshop with the objective to discuss the WHO draft Action Plan for Decade of Road Safety 2011-20. Representatives from Ministry of Road Transport, Ministry of Home Affairs, National Highway Authority of India as also experts from WHO, IIT, Central Road Research Institute, Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers are participating in the workshop.
The Director General Health Services Dr. R.K. Srivastava informed that the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare has been implementing a project for Upgradation & Strengthening of Emergency Trauma Care facility in State Government Hospitals located on National Highways under the scheme “Assistance for Capacity Building” with a view to provide immediate treatment to the victims of road traffic injury. The scheme, with a total outlay of Rs. 732.75 crores for developing a network of 140 trauma care centres along the Golden Quadrilateral (covering 5,846 kms connecting Delhi-Kolkata-Chennai-Mumbai-Delhi, North-South & East-West Corridors covering 7,716 kms connecting Kashmir to Kanyakumari and Silchar to Porbandhar respectively of the National Highways) during the 11th five year plan period has been underway. So far, 113 trauma care centres have been provided financial assistance in 15 states which are at various stages of progress. Another 160 Trauma care centres are proposed to be added to the existing network of trauma care centres during the 12th five year plan.
According to WHO Global Status Report on Road Safety, over 50 million are injured on the world’s road every year and as many as five million deaths happen due to road accidents. Road accident deaths at a global level were ranked ninth as a cause of disability adjusted years of life lost in 2004 and is expected to be ranked fifth by the year 2030. In India more than half of the road accidents victims are in the age group of 25-65 years, the key wage earning and child raising age group.
Officially proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in March 2010, a Decade of Action Plan for Road Safety 2011-2020 provides the framework to countries and communities to increase action to save lives on the world’s roads. The global launch of the Decade is planned for May, 2011.
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