By Ekuson Nw’Ogbunka Abuja
The Accident Prevention and Rescue Initiative (APRI) has charged Federal, States, and Local Governments, to establish National Welfare Care scheme for Victims of Road Crash in the country.
The call was made in a statement signed by Amb. Fidelis Nnadi and made available to newsmen in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory ((FCT) recently.
Decrying the situation where road crash victims are denied medical attention at both public and private hospitals due to their financial constraints, he said: “The rate of road crashes resulting in high casualties of deaths and injuries have left victims with no alternative than to give up their lives, while the injured are abandoned without care and hope for survival.”
Lamenting further, Nnadi disclosed that there were hundreds of hospitalized victims in many hospitals across Nigeria, but their hope of survival is very slim as there is nothing tangible to give them assurance of survival, adding: “Government at all levels as well as corporate bodies should strengthen the capacity of insurance companies towards compensating road crash victims with a view to care for their welfare.
He disclosed that Nigeria’s current road crash index, as revealed by Nigeria Bureau of Statistics, shows that over 6,000 lives are lost annually, while thousands are fatally disabled.
Media director and member, Coalition of Road Safety NGOs in Nigeria (CORSAN) and National Consultant for Nigeria VIOs on Capacity Building and Public Affairs Advocacy, N adi however urged the public and private institutions including individuals to be humane enough by extending care, hospitality and welfare to road crash victims. He stressed that most of the victims were killed while striving to earn a living in order to sustain their families and themselves.