The Ghana Medical Association (GMA) has called for a total ban of “okada” in the country to reduce the high rate of accidents and casualties caused by the commercial motor riders.
Dr Frederick Kwarteng, the Head of the Accident, Emergency and Orthopaedic Department, Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital sad in an interview that:
“Until the government implements policies to regulate the use of motorbikes especially for commercial purposes, it should ban their operations to save lives. This is what we want,”
He said it the number of road traffic accidents caused by Okada riders keeps increasing, and was even worse during the Christmas festive season.
He added:
“ this is causing the victims to lose their lives, legs and arms, brains, wealth and entire social life,”
On January 2, 2020, as at the 1:00pm, the Department had admitted one car accident victim and four motorcycle ( okada ) accident victims.
Dr Kwarteng believes that if law enforcement agencies are unable to enforce traffic regulations, Okada riders should be banned entirely as their accident cases were as a result of recklessness and disrespect for road traffic regulations.
“The traffic light says red and he crosses, speeding and riding recklessly. People use motorbikes in some jurisdictions and even in the North but we don’t hear about such injuries. But in Accra, it is often recorded because they are not being controlled, and even choose to create their own paths through traffic,” he said.
Dr Boateng said from December 22 – 23, 2019, 30 road traffic accident cases were recorded out of which 20 were staid Okada related cases.
Some of the victims had crushed bones, fractures, severe wounds, head injuries and traumas.
As a result of the seriousness of some of the cases, some of the victims could have their limbs amputated to save their lives if all procedures of treatment were ineffective.