The Accident and Emergency Department of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital recorded a significant increase in road traffic accident cases in the first half of 2026, with 553 victims treated by the end of June.
The figure represents 7.11 percent of the 7,781 emergency cases attended to by the department during the period.
Data from the department show that road crash cases have been increasing steadily compared with previous years. In the first six months of 2025, the hospital recorded 379 road traffic accident cases, representing 5.33 per cent of emergency attendances.
This is compared with 368 cases (4.65 per cent) recorded within the same period in 2024 and 384 cases (5.22 per cent) in 2023.
Head of the Accident and Emergency Department, Dr Henry Bulley, said although road traffic accidents remain a major contributor to emergency admissions, improved emergency care services have helped reduce deaths among crash victims.
According to departmental records, 10 accident-related deaths were recorded by the end of June 2026, representing a mortality rate of 1.81 per cent.
This marks a slight improvement compared with the same period in 2025, when 7 deaths were recorded from 379 road crash cases, representing a mortality rate of 1.85 per cent.
The department recorded 12 road crash-related deaths in 2024, representing a mortality rate of 3.26 per cent, while seven deaths were recorded in 2023, with a mortality rate of 1.82 per cent.
Dr Bulley attributed the improved outcomes to the increased availability of emergency physicians and specialised emergency nurses, which he said has strengthened the hospital’s ability to stabilise critically injured patients and improve survival rates.
He, however, called for intensified road safety education and preventive measures to reduce crashes and ease pressure on emergency facilities across the country.
Source: GNA
