2024-02-05 11:00:29
On the night of November 13, a motorist was traveling with his daughter between lanes on the route that leads from Hincapié Avenue to Boca del Monte, in Villa Canales. Upon encountering another vehicle, the driver lost control and crashed into the back of a bus. The young woman died in the accident.
Accidents like this are reported daily in the country. According to the National Traffic Safety Observatory (Onset), during 2023, one in two road events involved motorcyclists.
The impact that these accidents represent for the public health system is high; only at the Roosevelt Hospital, one out of every three accident victims who arrive at the emergency room was riding a motorcycle. Statistics reflect that a high percentage has serious injuries that require hospital admission and probably use of intensive units.
“There are few cases that can be managed on an outpatient basis,” says doctor Hugo Alvarado, coordinator of the Adult Emergency at the healthcare center. His diagnosis says that “about 99 percent of people do not use helmets, so the majority come with head trauma, with injuries that require the intervention of neurosurgery doctors and then treatment in the intensive unit.” . They also present fractures of long bones – femur and humerus.
Expenses
From January 1 to January 28 of this year, 236 accidents were reported in the capital city, where the main people involved are motorcyclists. Amílcar Montejo, head of the Metropolitan Municipal Transport and Transit Regulatory Entity (Emetra), reports that an average of eight of these road mishaps occur every day.
According to the doctor, a patient, for the simple fact of entering the emergency room, evaluating him and performing the basic tests and treatment, could represent an expense of approximately Q5 thousand, this with those who can return home after being treated. .
While the most complex cases, those that have established injuries and require surgical intervention, use of medications that are placed in infusion pumps and use of intensive care, the cost of care can range between Q150 thousand and Q200 thousand per day.
The time that one of these patients can spend in the hospital ranges from one to two weeks, and when they are out of serious condition they have to undergo a recovery process, where the cost of the intervention decreases.
Between 10 and 15 percent of people who arrive at the adult emergency room at Roosevelt Hospital due to motorcycle accidents die due to the severity of their injuries.
Guatemala, Escuintla, Sacatepéquez, Santa Rosa and Chimaltenango are the five departments nationwide that, according to the sources consulted, report the highest number of accidents.
It’s already an epidemic
Due to the number of motorcycle accidents that occur in the country, the issue should be addressed as an epidemic, according to doctors. The Onset records that in 2023 there were 5,797 traffic incidents involving motorists, 89.5% of these involved injuries, and 21% reported deaths.
Alvarado says that the injured who arrive at the hospital are usually men and range between 18 and 45 years old, and most cases are associated with alcoholism.
These patients are of productive age, which in the opinion of the interviewee is a significant impact on the household economy, as they spend days in hospital or are left with sequelae.
The time when the Roosevelt Hospital receives the most emergencies for this reason is from six to eight in the morning, then at noon, at seven at night and at the beginning of the morning. The worst days are Thursday and Friday.
A traffic accident occurred on 28th and 3rd Street. avenue in zone 3, where a motorist hits a vehicle, the man was treated at the scene by elements of the Central Station and was later transferred to the San Juan de Dios hospital. #CVBalService pic.twitter.com/cRYro7KjOm
— Volunteer Firefighters (@BVoluntariosGT) January 27, 2024
The figure goes hand in hand with the increase in two-wheeled vehicles circulating in the country, since in five years it went from 1 million 525 thousand 121 (2019) to 2 million 471 thousand 364 reported to date, which represents 46.6% of the vehicle fleet.
“It is worrying because the more motorcycles circulate, the greater the risk of accidents, taking into account that drivers do not use protective measures. It is a time bomb so that the emergencies of the hospitals in the national network cannot cope,” says the doctor.
A specialized hospital
By 2030, the World Health Organization (WHO) considers that trauma from accidents will be the fourth cause of death in the world, this includes road accidents, injuries from firearms and stab wounds.
“No patient who arrives at the hospital is turned away, everyone is treated. The problem is that there are patients who obviously require other types of services for which we can no longer provide and we have to improvise with what we have to guarantee the protection of life. It is important to invest in that area,” adds the Roosevelt Hospital emergency coordinator.
The doctor explains that it is better to work on this type of emergency in a single space, where there is access to intensive care areas, operating rooms and specific beds for this type of patient. “We practically need a new hospital just for trauma,” he says.
A traffic accident occurred between two motorcycles on Avenida Cementerio and 20th street in zone 3, at the scene a man was treated with minor blows, while a couple was transported with blows to their legs to the San Juan de Dios hospital. . #CVBalService. pic.twitter.com/vkZhew91up
— Volunteer Firefighters (@BVoluntariosGT) January 28, 2024
To take into account
Alvarado indicates that these accidents can be avoided by respecting the country’s Traffic Law, the use of protective equipment by motorists, mainly helmets, respecting speed limits, not driving under the influence of liquor and respecting the number of passengers that can be transported in these vehicles.
Montejo agrees with these points by stating that the main causes of motorcycle accidents are due to abuse of speed, driving between lanes, going against the road, overloading the vehicle and the lack of basic equipment to protect against any mishap, and it is precisely because This is why sanctions have been issued by the PMT.
Petapa Avenue and 12th Street, a traffic accident was recorded, Volunteer Firefighters transferred three people to different healthcare centers. #CVBalService pic.twitter.com/LRIhNzRBzM
— Volunteer Firefighters (@BVoluntariosGT) January 27, 2024
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