Incidents involving motor vehicles and bicycles, as well as vehicle-pedestrians, account for the highest number of monthly recorded head injuries in the Free State. Incidents relating to violence and falls are secondary, representing 20% and 25%, respectively.
The provincial Department of Health revealed these statistics on World Head Injury Awareness Day, observed on 20 March. According to the department, the aforementioned three incidents account for 50% of head injuries.
“In the Free State there are at least 20 to 30 serious cases of head injuries per month. It may be more, considering that some of the hospitals outside Bloemfontein consult and are assisted to manage the less serious cases at the local and private facility, as well as outside the province,” said Dr Lelethu Bulelani Bango, a neurosurgeon at the Pelonomi Tertiary Hospital.
He stated that due to the nature of the work, most of the severe head injuries are complicated in nature and it takes a dedicated team to identify and successfully manage such cases.
Bango said the biggest challenges were the same challenges that plague most of South Africa and other parts of the world: the availability of staff and minimal resources to perform the work necessary to assist as many people as possible.
“Unfortunately, there are no easy solutions when it comes to the production of skilled personnel because it takes many years to train a specialist, and very few doctors show interest in the time and dedication needed to complete the studies.”
“However, with more awareness being created, it may be that a few could be recruited to start and complete their studies and hopefully stay to assist in the Free State.”
