More than 54% of the surgeries done at the Georgetown Hospital are emergencies, mainly due to road accidents, according to a press statement from the Ministry of Health.

And it is estimated that some $700 million directly and indirectly gets consumed in the health sector because of accidents, the statement noted.

The Health Ministry has also expressed strong support for the Ministry of Home Affairs and the police in their efforts to curb reckless road usage and the increasing number of road accidents, which lead to serious injury and deaths.

"Untold sufferings have been brought to bear on the lives of far too many people by the irresponsible behaviour and misuse of Guyana's roads," the statement pointed out.

Further, the ministry is urging all Guyanese to support the effort to improve the traffic situation and to reduce accidents and accidental deaths and injuries on the roads.

Underscoring its interest in promoting safe use of Guyana's roads, the Health Ministry disclosed that the "vast majority of accident victims and their relatives access treatment and care from public health institutions, such as clinics and hospitals, especially the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation."

The statement said that the Accident and Emergency and Operating Rooms were constantly being challenged by having to deal with accidents that were preventable.

The health sector, the statement added, bore considerable economic and resource burdens for accidents because a considerable amount of the sector's scarce resources - physical, human and supply - was utilized in dealing with the physical and psychological trauma experienced as a result of these accidents.