Road deaths

PAPUA New Guinea has one of the highest death rates from motor vehicle accident in the world.
Of all admissions to hospitals, injuries come second only to pneumonia.
About half the surgeons’ workload involves treating trauma, while lacerations are a major reason for attendance at health clinics.
In spite of these facts the medical profession has shown little concern in the prevention of accidents.
Public health departments in developing countries give top priority to controlling communicable and deficiency disease and until quite recently accident were not included in their considerations.
The PNG Institute of Biology prepared a bibliography of all medical and human biological research in the country up to 1973 and not one article appeared on the subject of accidents.
Indeed, it was not until 1980 that a paper on this topic was published in the PNG Medical Journal.
Today, death due to motor vehicle accidents are no longer the monopoly of affluent countries; they have become a worldwide epidemic. In PNG the numbers are increasing at such an alarming rate that at last it is realised that something has to be done.
Within 10 years the fatalities due to accidents have risen by more than 400 per cent.

Isaac James
DWU