By Yussif Ibrahim, GNA
Kumasi, May 8, GNA – Dr. George Kwadwo Owusu, Chief Executive Officer of the National Ambulance Service, has expressed concern over the increasing rate of injuries and deaths among young people in Ghana, describing the situation as a major threat to the country’s workforce and future development.
He said road traffic crashes, drowning, burns and other preventable injuries were claiming the lives of thousands of economically active youth every year, with serious consequences for families and national productivity.
Speaking at a two-day conference on injury prevention organised by Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in collaboration with the University of Washington in Kumasi, Dr. Owusu said more than 60 per cent of road traffic fatalities in Ghana affected people below the age of 35.
The conference was on the theme: “Nipping Ghana’s Injury Menace in the Bud – Harnessing Evidence from Local Research.”
According to him, Ghana recorded 14,135 road crashes in 2023, resulting in 2,276 deaths and 15,409 injuries, based on data from the Motor Traffic and Transport Department of the Ghana Police Service.
He said the first half of 2024 alone recorded 6,650 additional crashes, leading to 1,237 deaths and 7,561 injuries.
Dr. Owusu noted that although the number of crashes appeared to be declining, fatalities were increasing, indicating that accidents were becoming more severe.
“These are not just statistics. They are sons and daughters whose lives ended too early, parents exhausting their life savings on medical care, and communities losing some of their most productive members,” he stated.
He explained that injury-related cases continued to place enormous pressure on the health sector and the national economy.
According to him, the economic cost of road crashes alone had been estimated at 8.2 per cent of Ghana’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), while the treatment cost of injuries continued to rise annually.
Dr. Owusu identified pedestrians as the most vulnerable road users, noting that they accounted for nearly 50 per cent of road traffic deaths recorded at some emergency departments.
Dr. Owusu urged researchers to ensure that their findings influenced government policy, budgeting, and infrastructure planning.
“Your data has power beyond academic journals. It can influence budget lines, direct ambulance deployment and shape national policy decisions that save lives,” he charged researchers.
GNA
Kenneth Odeng Adade
Reporter: Yussif Ibrahim
[email protected]