Deputy Minister of Health suggests research into Driver-Health Issues

Mr Rojo Mettle-Nunoo, the Deputy Minister of Health, on Thursday suggested research into the cost, benefits and return on investment of implementing driver health and wellness programmes to help provide concrete solutions to such issues.

In a speech read on his behalf he said: “Some research associate the risk of crash-related deaths with job related fatigue.”

Mr Mettle-Nunoo said other studies suggested that the risk of cancer, heart attacks and other disorders might be associated with aspects of long-haul driving such as loading and unloading cargo, irregular schedules, long hours of driving, a sedentary lifestyle and the nature of drivers’ food choices.

Mr Mettle-Nunoo made the suggestion at a forum organised by New Agenda Foundation, a non-governmental organization, in collaboration with the Foundation for Rural Support and Development on the theme: “Drivers’ Health and Wellness: Achieving Fitness and Money Saving Goals.”

He said it was important that much attention was paid to the health of drivers and pledged the Government’s commitment to provide all the necessary logistics and support to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) and the Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU) as well as other stakeholders to help rid the roads of crashes.

Mr Atta Kwaku Boadi, Executive Director of New Agenda Foundation, said most drivers, especially commercial drivers, had a lot of health problems that they did not even know about.

He said even though road safety was important, ensuring that drivers lived healthy was also a critical issue that needed to be addressed.

Mr Boadi explained that drivers were associated with diseases like obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and blood clots, which are mostly a result of the sedentary lifestyles.

He said the NGO was hopeful to extend the programme to many drivers and urged organisations to embrace the programme.

Participants were screened to ascertain their Random Blood Sugar levels.