Ban ‘Okada’ in Accra: Over 70% Emergency Cases Are Caused By Okada – Ghana Medical Association calls on gov’t

According to the association, this will reduce the overwhelming casualties they are receiving at the accident unit at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.

Reiterating this call in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), Dr Frederick Kwarteng, the Head of the Accident, Emergency and Orthopaedic Department, Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital said this move has become necessary.

“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.

He said it had become necessary as the number of road traffic accidents caused by Okada men kept becoming rampant, and got worse during the Christmas festive season.

“And this is causing the victims to lose their lives, legs and arms, brains, wealth and entire social life,” he said.

From December 21, 2019 to January 1, 2020, the Department admitted 79 vehicle accident victims, 58 motorcycle accident victims and one bicycle accident victim.

On January 2, 2020 as at the 1300 hours, the Department had admitted one vehicle accident victim and four motorcycle accident victims.

Dr Kwarteng believed if law enforcement agencies were 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.