In 2012, 1,837 people died in road accidents that occurred in various parts of Nepal, prompting the head of the country’s Traffic Directorate to call for a dedicated national trauma centre.
According to the Traffic Directorate at Nepal Police Headquarters, 4,018 people were critically injured and 7,813 sustained minor injuries in the accidents. The number of accidents rose by 5.6 percent compared with figures from two years ago. The directorate said of all modes of injuries reported, road accidents topped the trauma list.
Trauma resulting from road accidents, burns, falls, assaults and other sudden musculoskeletal injuries is internationally accepted as the leading cause of deaths under the age of 40.
“With the rise in road accidents, deaths and trauma cases related to traffic incidents have also increased in recent years,” said Ganesh Rai, chief at the Traffic Directorate.
He said that billions of rupees are spent in the treatment of the injured every year but the concerned authorities have not yet shown seriousness to deal with the issue.
