Publication

Two new articles have reinforced the key link between the road safety and health sectors, with a specific focus on the need to build capacity and resourcing for post-crash response and care. 

Post-crash response is recognized as an essential element of road safety by in the United Nations Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021 - 2030, which emphasizes the need for a strengthened focus on improving the response to road traffic crashes to minimize deaths and injuries and support survivors and families. 

Despite this, the most recent World Health Organization Global Status Report for Road Safety 2023 found that,  in terms of access to rehabilitative medical care for all injured persons regardless of their ability to pay, only 46 countries reported having laws that mandate rehabilitative medical care. Furthermore,  the coverage of rehabilitative care was reported at a level of 75% for road traffic injuries by only 25 countries globally. 

The two articles, which have been co-authored by Ms. Priti Gautam, APRSO lead and Senior Transport Specialist for Road Safety at the Asian Development Bank (ADB), highlight how this lack of effective post-crash response is impacting Asia and the Pacific, and the essential need to strengthen links between health and transport systems to address this need. 

The first article, published in Development Asia, is also co-authored by Professor Abdul Bachani from Johns Hopkins International Injury Research Unit and Vasoontara Sbirakos Yiengprugsawan
Senior Universal Health Coverage Specialist (Service Delivery) for ADB. Please find it here. 

The second article, published in the Asian Development Blog, is also co-authored by James Leather, Director of the Transport Sector Office of ADB, Eduardo Banzon, Director of the Health Practice Team for ADB, and Vasoontara Sbirakos Yiengprugsawan, Senior Universal Health Coverage Specialist (Service Delivery) for ADB. Please find it here. 

In addition, the ADB has recently published an edition of the ADB Sustainable Development Working Paper Series focused on 'The Case for Investing in Post-Crash Care in Asia and the Pacific'. Please find it here.