Road crashes: FRSC declares four states, FCT notorious
ABUJA — The Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, has declared four states and Federal Capital Territory, FCT, as notorious with records of highest number of road traffic crashes and fatalities in the country.
Corps Marshal and Chief Executive of FRSC, Mr. Osita Chidoka, who disclosed this during the inspection of an on-going Trauma Centre at the hospital, Abuja, said the rating was based on positing of highways reports as at the end of 2012 and the first quarter of 2013.
*FRSC-boss, Ositadinma-Chidoka
Chidoka who named Bauchi, Kogi, Kaduna, Delta states and the FCT, as the notorious said the Corps was currently working on an engagement plan with the governors of affected states and the FCT Minister to ensure improved road safety practices in their areas of jurisdiction.
He reiterated the commitment of the corps to ensure a zero per cent record on road crashes in any part of the country, in pursuant to the Accra declaration on road safety of 2015 and United Nations decade of action on road safety , 2011-2020.
On the Trauma Centre which has a landing space for air ambulances, the Corps Marshal commended the management of the National Hospital, describing it as “a pride of place to the nation’s health architecture.”
He said when commissioned, the centre would add value to the corps’ drive towards prompt medical care for road crash victims and qualitative advantage to emergency and rescue services in Nigeria.
According to him, the FRSC has through its numerous initiatives, acquired 3,000 Closed User Group, CUG, telephone lines which were distributed among its management team, operatives in the Field Commands and all Federal Medical Centres nationwide, to ensure seamless interface and prompt attention for road crash victims especially those with trauma cases.
He also said that the FRSC has acquired 57 ambulances and established 84 functional road side clinics as part of measures to address road crash-related issues and stated that the Corps will partner with the National Hospital on the training of FRSC medical personnel on contemporary global best practices on trauma care. He further said that plans are in the works to get Insurance companies to dedicate part of funds generated from third party insurance holders to complement efforts by government to alleviate the plight of road crash victims.
Chidoka also disclosed that the FRSC will integrate the proposed partnership with the National Hospital on training into the on-going World Bank programme on capacity building adding that 40 officers are presently in France on a Safe-To-Load scheme under the sponsorship of the World Bank and Total Nigeria partnership as part of measures to ensure the safety of Tankers in Nigeria.
In his remarks earlier, the Chief Medical Director of the National Hospital, Dr. Bello Shehu said that the essence of the facility tour was to solicit for the FRSC buy-in for the Trauma Centre which is slated for commissioning in September this year, as lead agency in road traffic administration and safety management.
Dr. Shehu also described the Centre as a level 1 facility for handling trauma cases in the country at the moment and added that on completion, the 50 bed capacity Centre will rank the best in the country with a round-the-clock administration and specialists on stand by to handle trauma cases.
It will be recalled that aside from the Uthman Danfodio Teaching Hospital in Sokoto which has a functional Trauma Centre, other health institutions with Trauma Centres in the country, are the on-going projects at National Hospital and the Gwagwalada Specialist Hospitals in Abuja.
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