KUALA LUMPUR, June 10 — While Malaysia has much to celebrate with only two new Covid-19 cases recorded today, the Health Ministry expressed concern over the average daily number of road accidents in Malaysia almost doubling as more Malaysians take to the roads after the movement control order (MCO) restrictions were relaxed.
Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the Health Ministry has found the number of injuries and deaths from road accidents increasing recently, citing police statistics that showed a spike in the average daily number of road accidents during the more relaxed conditional movement control order (CMCO) period as compared to the MCO period.
“For example, the total number of road accidents during MCO 1 from March 18 to March 31, 2020 (that is 14 days) is 5,498 cases with 58 deaths. This means, the daily rate of accidents is 392.7 accidents per day.
“When compared, this amount increased drastically to 738 accidents per day when the CMCO started being implemented on May 4, 2020,” he said in a press conference today.
During the CMCO period, the total number of road accidents recorded in just eight days (May 5 to May 12) came up to 5,904 accidents with 68 deaths. (In comparison, the MCO 1 period of 14 days recorded similar numbers.)
As for the CMCO period from May 13 to June 9, a total of 25,251 road accidents with 231 deaths were recorded, with this being equivalent to 738 accidents per day, Dr Noor Hisham said when citing police data.
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How road accidents affect motorists, MOH and hospitals negatively
Dr Noor Hisham said preliminary statistics on road accident cases or trauma cases receiving treatment at the Health Ministry’s hospitals showed a drop in trauma cases by between 65 per cent to 75 per cent for all states in Malaysia during the MCO period, as compared to before the MCO period.
But he noted that such trauma cases started recording an increase by 30 per cent during the CMCO period, as there were more vehicles moving on the road.
“The increase of this rate is very worrying since it is expected to continue to increase following the increase of the total number of vehicles on the road,” he said.
“The Health Ministry cares for the safety of the public, especially the increasing number of workers going to and fro their workplaces following the reopening of all economic, social and other sectors,” he said.
Today also happens to be the first day of a new phase called the recovery movement control order (RMCO) until August 31, with even greater relaxation of rules and more people returning to work as even more businesses and activities are allowed to resume, with the police to also stop implementing roadblocks.
Dr Noor Hisham noted that road accidents come with a range of serious implications such as possible loss of life, lifelong disability, loss of limbs or body functions, but indicated that such accidents do not only come at a personal cost as hospitals would only be impacted negatively.
He said road accidents would affect hospital services negatively by increasing the rate of accidents and morbidity rate; as well as increasing the use of health facilities to treat road accident cases such as by causing congestion at hospitals’ Accident and Emergency Department, increase in emergency and semi-emergency surgery cases that could then cause an increase in the rate of usage of beds and the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
Dr Noor Hisham pointed out that road accident cases would typically involve severe injuries and require blood transfusion, noting that this would then increase the use of blood supply stocks.
However, he also noted that blood supplies are currently sufficient as compared to during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan recently when blood supplies were lacking.
“We encourage Malaysians to step forward to donate blood. For now, it is sufficient, but blood donations are always needed, so we need constant flow,” he said.
Dr Noor Hisham then conveyed the Health Ministry’s advice to the public to be careful while on the road.
“Drive your vehicles and ride your motorcycles more carefully to avoid road accidents. Avoid from driving if you are tired or did not have enough rest.
“Undesired events can be avoided if the public is more careful and obey traffic laws. Remember your loved ones,” he added.
Since Malaysia recorded its first case in late January until today (June 10), a total of 118 patients here have died from Covid-19, including one new death recorded today.
