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Mashonaland West Bureau
GOVERNMENT intends to come up with a dedicated Road Accident Fund to address post-crash accident challenges and help in making sure the golden hour is effectively utilised to save lives.

Addressing villagers at Nyamakate Secondary School where he was the guest of honour, Deputy Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development Engineer Michael Madhana said Government’s Road Accident Fund was set to make sure the golden hour (the first hour after the accident) is effectively utilised to save lives.

“The Road Accident Fund is going to make sure all activities that must be done in the first hour after an accident has occurred are done to save lives,” said Eng Madhana.

The fund will cover the provision of ambulances that will ferry accident victims from accident scenes to hospitals, first aid training for people in local communities and provision of medicine and specialist doctors.

Ward 7 councillor Mr Jealous Matesanwa said there was need to make sure that clinics nearest to accident hotspots were equipped with necessary accident equipment and facilities, as they would be the first points where the victims would be transferred to.

“There is need for ambulances to be stationed at hospitals or clinics which are nearer to accident hotspots for easy transportation of accident victims,” said Mr Matesanwa.

He said during the King Lion bus accident, he had to come to the rescue of the victims by ferrying some of them using his own lorry, as the donated ambulance was now stationed in Karoi.

Mr Matesanwa said one of the accident victims who passed away could have been saved if the golden hour was effectively utilised as he was bleeding profusely.