The Health Ministry will soon come out with a National Injury Control Program to provide health care and save lives of the lakhs of persons lost in accidents and to injury, announced health minister J P Nadda, while inaugurating the Third World Trauma Congress today.
“Road traffic injuries are among the three leading causes of death for people between 5 and 44 years of age,” Nadda pointed out. “Unless immediate and effective action is taken, road traffic injuries are predicted to become the 5th leading cause of death in the world, resulting in an estimated 24 lakh deaths each year,” he stated.
As per the latest statistic, in India 52 persons die every hour in various accidents.
Road injuries and deaths cause a colossal economic cost of up to 1.5% of the Gross National Product.
Nadda also said that to meet the challenges of trauma patients, we need to advance not only clinical practice and medical technology, but also the organization of our health care system and resources. He also urged for more convergence with Ministries such as Road Transport and Highways and other related stakeholders.
India is hosting the 3rd World Trauma Congress this year, the first and second one’s being held at ‘Rio de Jenario’ and ‘Frankfurt’.