Significant drop in hospitalizations for alcohol-related traffic accidents this Tet

Over 23,000 people were hospitalized due to traffic-related incidents this Lunar New Year holiday between Feb. 8-14, a drop of 12.1% from the same period last year, according to reports from the Ministry of Health.

The number of deaths due to traffic-related incidents was at 118, a drop of 22.4%.

In HCMC, the number of hospitalized cases due to traffic accidents reduced by 42% from the same period last year, totaling to around 1,500 cases.

The city recorded five deaths caused by traffic accidents, all patients transferred in from other localities to Cho Ray Hospital, the leading facility in treating injuries in southern Vietnam.

Pham Thanh Viet, head of the general planning department of the Cho Ray Hospital, said the number of hospitalized persons this Tet was 1,870, roughly the same as last year. However, the number hospitalized due to traffic accidents saw a 16% drop from last year.

Cho Ray tested alcohol levels of all cases hospitalized due to traffic accidents this year, as Vietnam ramps up its monitoring for alcohol level violations, and it only detected two cases with alcohol levels.

Viet said that in previous years, the hospital only tested alcohol levels for cases where patients had fallen unconscious in order to evaluate whether their senses were affected by injuries or alcohol.

"At the time, people with alcohol levels in their blood were admitted almost every day, sometimes 20-30 cases a day," he said.

In Hanoi, the Department of Health said the number hospitalized due to traffic-related incidents was at 1,878, a slight drop from last year’s 1,917.

Nguyen Minh Duc, head of the orthopedic department at Saint Paul Hospital, said the number of hospitalized cases due to alcohol violations in traffic has markedly dropped. Only around 10% of cases had consumed alcohol this year, while last year it was 30-50%.

Viet Duc Hospital, which usually receives severe cases involving traffic accidents, also recorded a lower number of alcohol-related cases. However, there were still some severe cases hospitalized with high alcohol levels in their blood.

A representative of the Cho Ray Hospital said a correlation between the lower number of hospitalized cases due to traffic accidents and alcohol levels could not be confirmed.

But in general, a drop in the number of hospitalized cases due to traffic accidents and the number of cases with alcohol levels "is a welcoming sign that shows people have now gotten used to not driving after drinking," Viet said.

During the seven-day Lunar New Year holiday, 29,000 drivers violating alcohol levels were fined nationwide, an increase of over 21,000 cases compared to last year.