‘Eight lakh suffer head injuries in accidents every year’

LAHORE : Punjab Institute of Neurosciences (PINS) Board of Management (BoM) Chairman and neurosurgeon Prof Dr Anjum Habib Vohra has said every year 0.8 million people in Pakistan suffer from head injuries in traffic and other accidents out of which about 60,000 to 70,000 patients suffer serious injuries.

In the field of neurosurgery to save precious lives, first 60 minutes are called ‘Golden Hour’ in which a patient can get better results through timely and accurate first aid. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a sudden injury that causes damage to the brain. It may happen when there is a blow, bump, or jolt to the head. This is a closed head injury. A TBI can also happen when an object penetrates the skull, Prof Vohra said in a statement.

He said that the chances of saving lives in accidents are increasing in modern world and for this purpose the launch of air ambulance in the province is important to reduce the waste of time in transporting the injured ones to the hospitals by road due to heavy traffic on the highways.

Prof Vohra said that in all modern countries of the world, the use of air ambulance service for timely rescue and transport of injured persons in traffic or other accidents to hospitals has become common practice and no other tool is more effective than this to save human life.

Vohra referring to traffic accidents said that the competent authority should ensure transparency in the issuance of driving licences so that motorbike and vehicle drivers are not only well aware of traffic rules but also traffic sense.

He regretted many lives depend on the shoulders of the person driving the public transport and the slightest negligence of the driver becomes a great danger to many precious lives. He said that it has been observed that if a motorcyclist uses helmets then beds in the neurosurgery wards can be emptied and the lives of many, especially young people, can be saved as well.

He said police officials should discourage wheelie and underage motorcyclist and parents should also fulfill their responsibility in this regard.

Prof Anjum Habib said Shehbaz Sharif had set up a state-of-the-art neuro institute in the provincial metropolis which is benefiting patients from all over the country.

Appreciating the performance of the PINS, he said that it is a unique institution where state-of-the-art neurosurgery facilities are available 24 hours while doctors and nurses are on alert to serve the patients and save their lives.

He said surgery operation theatres are round-the-clock functional where there is no such thing as a holiday.

Prof Vohra said that PINS has extra ordinary better neurosurgery facilities of world class and every citizen should avail this by not wasting time in transferring them to Lahore.