GUWAHATI, March 9 � Health Minister Dr Nazrul Islam, on Sunday launched the North East Association for Road Safety (NEARS) at the first North East Road Safety Summit organized here by the GNRC. GNRC will provide the initial corpus for the association, from the organisation�s Corporate Social Responsibility fund.
At the summit, the Health Minister also launched a social service scheme titled GNRC Accident Card, which provides medical care to members in the event of an accident befalling them.
To address the pressing need for a solution to curb road accidents in the region, GNRC organized the North East Road Safety Summit. Road traffic accidents (RTA) have silently become an epidemic snuffing out lives, especially of the youth, in the North-east daily. Records show that RTA has emerged as the leading cause of death in 15-44 years age group, and is adversely affecting the region�s socio-economic health. Six out of eight North-eastern States are categorised as high road accident death prone areas, according to the National Crime Bureau Report 2013.
In 2013, RTA accounted for 52.2 per cent accidental deaths in Nagaland, 50.4 per cent accidental deaths in Assam, 47.6 per cent accidental deaths in Manipur, 46.7 per cent in Arunachal Pradesh, 40.8 percent in Mizoram and 37.7 percent in Tripura, surpassing the national average of 36.4 percent.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr Nazrul Islam, said, �I would like to commend GNRC and Dr Borah for facilitating this single platform for all stakeholders to assemble, discuss and formulate a solution for better management and care of toad traffic accidents. It is imperative that the four Es collaborate to assess the situation and formulate the solution � as each of these disciplines brings a unique perspective to road safety, which is a community issue. An integrated approach, including defining clear roles and responsibilities for everyone would set the direction for a change in culture � a culture in which fatalities and serious injuries on our roads are not accepted as inevitable and which strives to prevent them from occurring.�
Dr Atanu Borthakur, Director of Accident and Emergency department of the GNRC presented the report on �State of Youth Health: Road Traffic Accidents - An Emerging Epidemic,� prepared by compiling and analyzing data from records of over 25 years maintained by the GNRC and various other publicly available sources. The report highlighted that young people aged between 15-44 years were the primary victims of road accidents in the State.
Dr Nomal Chandra Borah, Chairman cum Managing Director of GNRC said, �As members of the society, we, at GNRC, aim to progress in the direction of our guiding principle - �Health for All and Smiles for All,� through the formulation of a road-map with representatives from 4Es to curb road accidents in the region and by conducting a dedicated year-long programme with their support to ensure the health of young members of our society.�
On the occasion, Dr Navanil Barua, Director of Neurosurgery at the GNRC requested mediapersons present to contribute by spreading the message of road safety as much as possible. �The primary cause of alarming number of road accidents is lack of adequate persuasive communication about road safety. Only media can help us take this message of road safety to the masses, and thereby serve the cause of society-building and nation-building,� he said.
