The cost of medical care for a polytraumatized patient is on average RD$200,000 to RD$300,000 but treatment of injured motorcyclists frequently reaches RD$700,000, according to a report in Listin Diario.
Dr. Julio Landron, director of the Ney Arias Trauma Center, spoke of the high cost of the intensive care units, and the medical equipment, staff and drugs and supplies that are needed to attempt to restore the usually young people so they can continue to lead productive lives.
Medics of the trauma center urge laws be enforced to reduce motorcyclist-caused accidents.
As reported in Listin Diario, more than 86% of the patients who come to the emergency room at the Dr. Ney Arias Lora Trauma Hospital suffer the injuries in traffic accidents. More than 80% of these patients are people who travel on motorcycles.
The majority of these travel without protective helmets, regardless of whether they are police or are servicing commercial deliveries, complains the physician.
Dr. Julio Landrón, director of the healthcare center, says motorcycle accidents are an epidemic in the Dominican Republic. He explains that at the Ney Arias Lora hospital emergency room, between 175 and 200 injured patients arrive daily and of these more than 60% were riding on motorcycles. He said the injured on motorcycles increase to 250 and 300 patients on weekend days and holidays.
Dr. Landrón shared the call made by the Dominican Society of Traumatology for the newly elected mayors to work to prevent traffic accidents in their communities. He said that in addition to this, most times those who ride with motorcyclists do not wear protective helmets, greatly increasing the risk of more people being injured.
“Motorcyclists recklessly enter tunnels and elevated areas, which are areas prohibited for them to travel through, which increases the incidence of traffic accidents in the country,” Dr. Landron explained in the interview with Listín Diario.
He recalled that he has always advocated that attention be paid to the epidemic of traffic accidents, pointing out that the country’s vehicle fleet has more than five million vehicles and of those, 3.3 million are motorcycles, which is cause for much concern and action.
Dr. Landron complained there is no type of regulation with motorcyclists and many drive recklessly and unconsciously, entering red lights, calibrating and doing pirouettes.
He understands that we must try to be as rigorous as possible in the application of the laws that are in place and establish mechanisms to control the speeds of motorcycles. He mentioned in other countries devices are inserted into the motorcycles and other vehicles to control speeds.
Dr. Landron called for the full rigor of the law to be applied to the unscrupulous people who compete on motorcycles, believing that they can travel lying down on the driver’s seat at high speeds.
He said that the Dominican Republic ranks first in death from traffic accidents in the world, with a rate of 65 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants.
Read more in Spanish:
Listin Diario
28 February 2024