Prudential Uganda together with the Prudence Foundation have on Monday
morning handed out 10 brand new wheeler beds to Mulago Hospital’s
Accident and Emergency ward.
The beds are hoped to take some pressure off of the “Causality ward,” whose
capacity to date remains outstripped by the number of cases it handles on the
daily basis.
Prudential and the Prudence Foundation also handed out 800 helmets to
selected bodaboda riders at a separate event at the Uganda Museum in
Kamwokya.
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The donations are part of the “Safe Steps Campaign” which the two entities
have been implementing with the aim of providing training to bodaboda riders
in Kampala and surrounding districts on safe driving and provision of first aid
to accident victims.
The 6-month campaign which started last month is targeting up to 10,000
bodaboda riders.
Speaking at the handover of the donations, Mr Tetteh Ayitevie the CEO
Prudential Uganda Ltd said they decided not to stop at training the cyclists to
prevent accidents, but also helping out with those who end in deadly crashes,
“The helmets are meant to safeguard our customers who ride on the back of
these motorcycles; but we don’t end there because we know that when these
accidents eventually happen the causalities are brought here (at Mulago) … so
we thought these beds are very necessary,” he said.
On his part, Mr Marc Fancy, the ED Prudence Foundation who flew in from
Hong Kong to assess the campaign progress in Uganda said; “In Kampala
bodabodas have been identified as a lifeblood of the roads. So, it is important
that we equip them with the rights skills so that lives are saved”
“The other aspect is the enormous burden that is placed on the medical
resources. I have just heard that you have a ward dedicated to road accidents
and although there are some beds in that ward, the amount of cases you
receive per day exceeds that capacity” he added.
Robert Kwesiga, the Secretary General of Uganda Red Cross Society thanked
Prudential, and Prudence Foundation for the noble initiative, and promised
further training support to the cyclists.
“We know that the biggest contributing factor to filling of these wards are the
bodaboda people. We have been working with the ministry (of health) on how
He revealed that about 90% of patients who require neurosurgical attention at
the hospital are from motorcycle accidents, and other over 100 are brought in
every day.
“And the cost of treating one goes up to 13-15 million compared to a normal
accident victim with no brain injury who needs about 1.5million” he said.
