Traffic Accidents a Priority: MoH

DAP

As well as being a national tragedy, Cambodia’s frequent traffic accidents are also a major drain on Ministry of Health (MoH) resources, an MoH officer said on Thursday at the second National Conference for Traffic Safety at the Phnom Penh Hotel.
MoH Secretary of State Toe Kuy seang said that traffic accidents are a priority for the MoH.
The MoH has gathered data from various regions to analyze and prepare a report, Kuyseang added.
The number of victims increased annually by around 50 percent report 2004-2008, becoming the second most common cause after HIV/AIDS, he said.
Cambodia has the highest per capita death toll of traffic accidents in ASEAN, at least 4-5 people a day.
Director of the Department of Health and Prevention Prak Pisethraingsey said that “some do not follow traffic lights, use drugs or alcohol, and especially do not obey by the traffic discipline.”
Mohd Nasir Hassan, a representative of the WHO for Cambodia said that accidents are “a the pandemic, always seen in the global not only Cambodia.”
According to a WHO report, 1.3 million deaths are caused by traffic accidents, Hassan added.
However, the government are making effort to control this situation.