Why hospitals need to change attitudes on bodaboda victims

For most youngsters, bodaboda or motorbike taxis have become a way of life in almost every part of Africa. The scenario is the same in Dar es Salaam, Nairobi, Kampala or Accra. Our economies across the continent have not produced adequate jobs to absorb the ever-growing young population.

The millions of youngsters making a living through those motor engines, most are trying to cope with joblessness. Some are near illiterate, while others have degrees. To each one of them, it is about making pennies and somehow swimming out of the mire of most sordid poverty. And it is never an easy journey.

During the electioneering period, you can see politicians attaching so much importance to the riders as they need their votes. After Members of Parliament and others come to power, the vital group is left on its own to continue with their daily hustles.

Today I would like us to consider one aspect of the riders that makes public hospitals look less human. Riders are constantly in danger of being involved in accidents out of their carelessness or the carelessness of others.

Public hospitals every day admit bodaboda accident victims.

The general attitude against those who get bodaboda accidents is like ‘they asked for it’. A relative who was on his bodaboda (upcountry) hit while stationary on a service road by another rider. He just got only the most basic first aid at a public hospital, and no one seemed to care that he was in great pain suffering broken limbs.

Luckily, he came to Dar es Salaam at a private hospital where he underwent several surgeries, and with time, his legs healed. Failure to be treated on time could have led to death or amputation! Then recently, a relative who operates a taxi in a small township upcountry had parked his car and was sitting on its boot, passing time waiting for customers, while another car lost control and hit his legs badly.

After going to the public hospital, he was taken for a bodaboda victim, hence was given less care and concern! It’s therefore an open secret that there are many such victims who experience such challenges. Note accident patient if not treated quickly due to bleeding and immense pains, they can lose their lives. So it’s as if every victim of broken legs in the public hospital’s attitude is that the cause is bodaboda!

Why have we become so inhuman? Why should accident victims be left to suffer just because they are associated with bodaboda riding? Yes, there are wards full of bodaboda victims, but doctors and nurses can start advocacy on what is happening instead of treating them inhumanly.

For instance, Nguyen T.D et al. (2018) propose that “successful interventions will bridge the gap between knowledge and practice of safety habits” as a multi-sectoral intervention to improve road safety for bodaboda drivers.

That should be the way to go and not punishing those already in pain. Prevention is always better than cure. Then the general society can be more educated about preventing such accidents.

The role of public hospitals in ensuring public health cannot be gainsaid. Children under five and expectant mothers mainly depend on the public health system, and it has done well.

It’s significant progress that we have public hospitals treating severe ailments like heart diseases and even cancers. And for that kudos goes to doctors, nurses and all support staff at those hospitals, backed up by government policy that seeks to improve public health continually.

I believe, even the issue of too many victimsof bodaboda accidents, things can change for the good with the change of attitude. We are Tanzanians, known all over the world for our humanity. Please, public hospitals treat accidents victims with humanity!