He injury flow by traffic accidents in it Ney Arias Lora Traumatological Hospital it doesn’t stop. The figures grow year after year and show that the road trauma problem remains uncontrolled in the country.
Between 2017 and 2024the center has registered a sustained increase of income from crashes and falls on public roads. In 2017, it treated 4,122 patients, and in 2018 the figure doubled to 8,804. In 2019 There were 8,593, a volume that kept the hospital at the limit of its capacity in trauma and surgery.
Not even the pandemic reduced the impact of traffic. In 2020, the number of accident victims rose to 9,827; in 2021 there were 9,745; in 2022, 9,694; and in 2023, 11,062. 2024 closed with 12,376 patients injured. In the first half of 2025 alone, 6,173 have already been recorded, which anticipates another year of more than 12,000 victims.
The data for the last two periods show a daily average of 33 injured daily due to traffic accident.
Every year there is more ruggedfurther surgeries and greater pressure on hospital services. The road education campaignsoperations and regulations on the use of helmets and reflective vests have not managed to reduce income.
The greatest weight of the figures falls on the motorcyclistswho are involved in the majority of cases. In the first six months of 2025, of the 6,173 injured5,914 traveled by motorcycle. Only 102 traveled by car, 12 by bus and 145 by other means of transportation. The proportion has been constant for years: nine out of ten Victims travel by motor.
Surgeries and emergencies on the rise
The same goes for the procedures performed. From 2017 to June 2025, the center went from conducting 3,323 surgeries to 9,565, almost triple.
The year 2018 marked a turning point, when total operations grew 189% compared to 2017 (from 3,323 to 9,616). Since then, the hospital has not dropped below seven thousand annual procedures, despite the fluctuations caused by the pandemic.
In 2019the figure dropped to 7,700 surgeries (-19.9%), and in 2020, during confinement, it fell to 6,083 (-21%). However, the flow spiked again in 2021with 8,821 operations (+45%), and since then the growth has been constant: 9,320 in 2022, 9,547 in 2023 and 9,565 in 2024.
The first half of 2025 already adds 4,810 surgeries. If the same pace is maintained, the year would close with 9,600 interventionsa level similar to that of the previous year.
During the same period, 342 surgeries maxillofacial injuries in emergencies, associated with direct impacts or falls from motorcycles. In total, 1,648 were carried out surgeries general procedures, 170 neurosurgeries and 124 maxillofacial interventions in the operating room, figures that confirm the center saturation.
Each injured patient represents a high healthcare expenditure: ambulance, studies, internmentsurgery and rehabilitation. Since 2017, the number of injuries has not decreased in a single year. In 2023 it exceeded eleven thousand cases, in 2024 it broke the twelve thousand barrier and in 2025 it points to the same level.
