Accidents involving healthcare personnel
Published on: Friday, July 28, 2017
Kota Kinabalu: Hospital nurses made up the biggest number of healthcare personnel involved in road accidents, accounting for half of 554 victims recorded by the Health Ministry between 2014 and last year.National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (Niosh) Chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said Health Director-General Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah disclosed recently that a total of 623 accidents involving healthcare personnel were registered from 2014 until last year."Out of the total, 554 cases were accidents related to commuting, when the victims were travelling to or from their workplaces and of the figure, 12.5 per cent or 69 got into accidents following being on duty after normal office hours – between 5pm and 8am.
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"The Health Ministry's data shows that of the 554 victims, more than half or 295 were nurses, which was the largest number among the healthcare personnel. "Among the causes of commuting accidents were fatigue, sleep deprivation, road conditions and weather," he said in a statement Thursday.Road accidents, Lee said, are actually the leading cause for work-related injuries and deaths with commuting accidents making up a significant percentage of industrial accidents reported to the Social Security Organisation (Socso) yearly.Based on Socso's statistics, he said the number of commuting accidents had steadily increased from 22,036 cases in 2010 to 24,089 cases (2011); 26,256 cases (2012); 27,659 cases (2013), 28,037 cases (2014) and 28,579 cases (2015).
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He said the statistics showed the number of commuting accidents had increased almost 30 per cent in just six years, which is very alarming."I agree with Dr Noor Hisham's advice that motorists and riders, including healthcare personnel, should not take to the road if they feel tired or sleepy to avoid road accidents.
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"He said being fatigued significantly increases the risk of a crash as it makes drivers less aware of what is happening on the road and impairs their ability to respond quickly and safely if a dangerous situation arises."As for healthcare personnel, hospital managers and department heads should be more sensitive towards their wellbeing and, if possible, refrain from giving them double shifts or long hours without break," he said.In light of this, Lee said there is a need for a collective effort to prevent more loss of lives among doctors and other health workers as reported before.On May 9, he said Dr Nurul Huda Ahmad, a paediatrician in training, was involved in an accident in Kuala Terengganu after nearly 33 hours on duty, while in 2015, anaesthesiologist Dr Afifah Mohd Ghazi, 27, died in a road accident in Sungai Buloh, Selangor, while returning home from the Sungai Buloh Hospital."I hope that the Health Ministry could provide suitable facilities for its staff to rest while more flexibility should be given to health personnel to take a break, depending on the needs of the hospital."If possible, allow them to rest or take a nap for a while before continuing with their next shift or travelling home," Lee said.To help reduce commuting accidents among healthcare personnel, he said Niosh is more than willing to work together with the Health Ministry and other relevant agencies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to find the best solutions. Among others, he said more awareness campaigns should be held for healthcare personnel apart from creating a conducive working environment for them."As the employer, the Health Ministry has a duty to protect its medical and other personnel from road accidents by managing their occupational road risk.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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