Dr Kwame Anim-Boamah, former Chief Executive Officer of the University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC), has raised concerns over road safety in Ghana, revealing that road traffic accidents claim an average of eight lives daily.
Speaking at the )dade3 Conversations Under the Baobab Tree on the theme “The No Bed Syndrome in Ghana: Improving Emergency Healthcare” in Accra on Thursday, April 30, he linked the high number of emergency cases to preventable road crashes.
“In Ghana every day eight people die from road traffic accidents, every single day. Last year it was about 2,900,” he said, adding that a breakdown of the annual figures underscores the scale of the problem.
“If you divide that by 365, what it means is that every single day eight people are dying,” he noted.
Dr Anim-Boamah attributed the situation largely to gaps in road safety systems, including inadequate signage and weak enforcement of traffic regulations.
He described night-time driving as particularly hazardous, warning that poor visibility and unsafe pedestrian behaviour contribute significantly to accidents.
“This is because of road safety mechanisms, road signages… you are driving in the night and you are praying nobody crosses from the dark side of the road,” he said.
His remarks formed part of a broader discussion on emergency healthcare challenges in Ghana, particularly the strain placed on hospitals by road traffic accidents and other preventable emergencies.
