DOH tallies 150% rise in road accidents during Holy Week break

The Department of Health reported that it has recorded an increase of 150 percent in injuries that come as a result of road crash incidents from Palm Sunday to Maundy Thursday.

Health spokesperson Albert Domingo noted that a total of 1,091 such cases were gathered from 161 hospitals throughout the country, a drastic climb from the 437 incidents during a similar period last year.

The regions with the most incidents were said to be Central Luzon with 196, the Davao region with 161, while 159 cases were tracked in the Ilocos region.

Despite the supposed escalation, Domingo pointed out that one of the reasons that they saw an increase in such accidents was due to hospitals being more diligent in relaying their records.

“It does not necessarily mean that there has been an increase in cases, it may just mean that hospitals are more inclined to report cases,” he said during an interview on a radio show this Sunday.

The DOH undersecretary further detailed that 72 percent of accidents happen to men, with the most common injuries being abrasions, open wounds, contusions, fractures, and evulsions.

In addition, he said that from all cases, 783 incidents were to people riding motorcycles while 944 individuals were said to not have any form of protective gear at the time of collisions.

Domingo chalked up the negligence in terms of wearing appropriate protection to Filipino culture, wherein people decide to do away with helmets particularly when they only need to travel short distances.

As a means to avoid already peculiar situations from further worsening, Domingo urged witnesses of road crashes to prioritize contacting emergency hotlines before attempting to provide first aid.