DOHA: At least 25 percent of patients needing rehabilitation care are victims of road traffic injuries (RTIs) at the Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC)’s Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Department.
HMC recently commemorated the World Day of Remembrance of Road Traffic Victims (WDR), raising awareness about prevention of RTIs and deaths on Qatar’s roads
While introducing victims of RTI at the WDR event, Dr Somaya Al Molawi from HMC’s Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Department, said at least one out of four patients needing rehabilitation care is a victim of an RTI.
Abdulrahman Al Yafei and Hassan Saleem, victims of crashes involving a vehicle and a motorcycle respectively, and Nel Balquin, a pedestrian who was hit by a car, were present at the event to share their experiences and highlight how speeding contributed to their accidents.
Abdelrahman, a young Qatari said that even though he has been confined to a wheelchair since his injury ten years ago, he has managed to succeed in life just like any other individual, continuing with his studies, working, and even competing successfully in sports.
‘Speed kills – design out speeding’ was the theme for this year’s WDR, which was organized within the framework of the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020 and its lead agency, the World Health Organization.
Dr Rafael Consunji, Director of the HIPP cited speeding as a consistent contributor to crashes that cause severe injury and death, as demonstrated by the fact that more than half of the road deaths in Qatar happen at the scene of the crash or before the victim arrives at the hospital.
“The impact of collisions due to vehicles moving at high speeds can cause severe and fatal injuries,” said Dr Consunji.
“Requiring seatbelts for all vehicle passengers, child passenger restraint laws and reducing speed limits in urban areas are all proven methods for reducing injuries and deaths from high-speed crashes. Implementing and enforcing these measures can go a long way towards ensuring the safety of everyone on the roads.”
A study on seatbelt compliance among patients with orthopedic injuries admitted to HGH showed that only 36 percent of all patients were using a seatbelt, and that most non-users were young males (with an average age of 32 years) from a Middle Eastern country, driving a four-wheel vehicle, and with a crash that occurred on a main road.
The Peninsula
