The Hamad Trauma Center of Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) recorded a 31% reduction between 2011 and 2017 in the number of people admitted with severe injuries due to road traffic accidents (per 100,000 population).
Despite these improvements, Hamad Trauma Center Director Dr Hassan Al Thani, said there is more work to do to ensure Qatar roads are as safe as possible.
Our focus is not only in providing care for patients who suffered a traumatic injury, but we are also deeply committed to improving the health and safety of all Qatar residents – and road traffic safety is at the top of our agenda.’
In December 2018, the Hamad Trauma Center signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the General Directorate of Traffic’s Media Awareness Section. The agreement will see the two groups work together in a wide range of road safety fields, including public awareness and education, data analysis, research, and capacity building.
This will lead to increased participation in public awareness events, deeper concentration into the priority populations – schoolchildren, worker groups, local families, and young drivers – and greater information sharing on road safety interventions, local trends in motor vehicle crashes, and road traffic injury data.
The Hamad Injury Prevention Program (HIPP) – the community outreach arm of the Hamad Trauma Center – will also play a leading role in the implementation of the new agreement and will serve as the direct liaison between the Hamad Trauma Center and General Directorate of Traffic.
According to HIPP Director Dr Rafael Consunji, Hamad Trauma Center admits up to 900 patients with severe road traffic injuries every year. And despite this number falling in recent years, it is essential that organisations in Qatar work together to improve safety for drivers, passengers, and pedestrians on Qatar roads.
The Hamad Trauma Center recently developed a set of car stickers to raise awareness among Qatar’s population about the importance of wearing a seat belt. Seat belts are the most effective injury-prevention device in a vehicle.
Unfortunately, our trauma surgeons see firsthand the devastating consequences of road traffic accidents and many of these injuries could be prevented if the victims had made the simple decision to wear a seat belt. This is why the Hamad Trauma Center is raising awareness, through these car stickers, of the importance of all drivers and passengers wearing a seat belt on every journey.’
To find out more about the role of the Hamad Trauma System, visit hamad.qa/hts.