More than 300 people involved in motor-vehicle collisions have required admission to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation so far this year, highlighting the growing human and financial cost of road crashes in Guyana.
Consultant physician attached to the GPHC Emergency Department, Dr Dwayne Kellman, said the hospital recorded more than 1,500 accident-related visits between January and the end of August, with approximately 300 patients requiring admission.
Between 180 and 200 people are seeking emergency treatment each month following traffic accidents, according to figures disclosed during the Road Safety and You programme.
The figures represent GPHC alone and do not include victims treated at hospitals in other regions or at private medical facilities. That means the national burden of road crashes is likely substantially higher.
The statistics offer a stark picture of the consequences of road behaviour in a country where traffic volumes have expanded alongside rapid economic and population growth.
Kellman has urged motorists and other road users to take greater responsibility, including using seatbelts and helmets and adopting safer practices on the road.
The burden also falls on the public healthcare system, which must absorb the cost of treating people injured in crashes while continuing to provide care for patients with other illnesses and medical emergencies.
The GPHC figures also do not capture the emotional and social consequences of road deaths and serious injuries.
A single collision can affect an entire household when the injured person is a breadwinner, caregiver or parent.
Guyana has continued to promote road-safety campaigns, but the continuing number of crashes suggests that enforcement, public education and personal responsibility remain major challenges.
The issue is particularly important as the country’s vehicle population grows and roads become increasingly congested.
Speeding, unsafe overtaking, failure to use protective equipment and dangerous driving behaviour can transform an ordinary journey into a life-changing event.
The GPHC figures therefore provide more than a hospital statistic. They represent hundreds of people who were injured badly enough to require admission and more than 1,500 emergency visits in just eight months.
And because the figures exclude hospitals outside Georgetown, the full national toll is likely considerably greater. The challenge for Guyana is now not merely treating road-crash victims after they arrive at hospital. It is preventing those victims from arriving there in the first place.
