Maseru, Jan. 20 — In a bid to ensure road incidents in Lesotho are not addressed in silos by relevant agencies, the Ministry of Public Works and Transport is in the process of establishing the Road Incident Management System (RIMS).
This, transpired at the one-day consultation meeting held in Maseru on Tuesday which brought together stakeholders from amongst others, the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, Ministry of Health, as well as the Lesotho Mounted Police Service with the objective to discuss and come up with a structure that would ensure implementation of the above.
The Ministry’s Public Relations Manager Mrs. Ntumeleng Nts’ekhe said addressing of road incidents in silos results in delayed response and in inefficient dispatching of resources, saying this fragmented approach results in unnecessary loss of lives and has a negative impact on Lesotho’s economy.
She indicated that to ensure RIMS operates effectively, the Public Health Emergency Operation Centre, which will be used as a platform for members of the public to report accidents when they have occurred, should also be established.
“Once an accident is reported, the information will be shared with all relevant agencies immediately which will in return, provide rapid response” she added.
She therefore indicated that the establishment of RIMS will promote the coordinated and effective response to road incidents.
The Agency has learnt that the Ministry has drafted the policy for the Road Incident Management System and has already been presented before Cabinet.
Ends/LP/BM
