‘Road accidents, still the commonest cause of emergency in Nigeria’

As radiologists worldover celebrate this year’s International Day of Radiology (IDOL), experts have said that road traffic accidents is still the commonest reason for visits to emegency department of hospitals in Nigeria.

Head, Radiology Department, University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, Professor Abiodun Adeyinka speaking at this year’s IDOL in Ibadan, said that many victims of these road traffic accidents sustain head injury and bone fractures.

The medical expert said the head was the most vulnerable part of the body in these accidents, adding that the down turn of economy of the country from the 1990’s had led to motorcycle becoming a major form of transportation.

The expert stated that riding on motorcycle is okay provided safety precations are put in place and so the association as part of the celebration was giving out 25 branded helmets in different colours and football club names to commercial motorcyclists operating within the hospital to encourage wearing of this gadget.

He said, “there is an edict that anybody going on a motorcycle must put on a helmet, but that is daily flouted. It is not widely acceptable by the okada riders themselves.

“So, we thought that if the helmets are branded with football club names and looking beautiful on their heads, maybe that will make them accept it and wear it.”

He said the association of radiologists intends to yearly give out helmets to the riders, urging for financial support from corporate bodies and philanthropists.

Dr Adedapo Aderinto, assistant head, Accident and Emergency Department, UCH, Ibadan, stated that in 2016, the unit attended to 1,700 people with accidents of various forms, and between 42 and 50 per cent were due to accidents involving commercial motorcyclists.

Dr Aderinto said this number is just a fraction of such accidents, adding that most people that sustain severe head injury die on the spot.

While remarking that commercial mini-bus drivers were second on the list of road traffic accident victims, Dr Aderinto stated that between two and four per cent of these accidents were in commercial tricycles.

Earlier, Dr Atinuke Agunloye, the local organising chairman of the event, said radiologists were involved in making diagnosis of injuries in these road accidents when they come to the hospital.

According to Dr Agunloye, wearing helmets can reduce injury to the head significantly when accidents occur.

She said the body through a road show it organised in conjunction with the Federal Road Safety Corps  and commercial motorcyclists was to further sensitise on wearing of helmets by motorcycle riders and obedience to other road safety measures to avoid this preventable cause of death and disabilities.