International trauma program to reduce burden of injury

Saudi Arabia records over half a million road accidents each year.
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The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia records approximately 526,000 road accidents per annum - 7,900 people die each year due to road trauma and over 40,000 people are injured every year. The death rate from road accidents, per head of population, is five times higher than in Australia. This significant burden of injury endured by the Saudi people has been recognised by the Kingdom of Saudia Arabia as preventable.

Internationally, trauma is the leading cause of death in the first four decades of life and the second most frequent cause of deaths in all age groups. This has prompted the World Health Organisation (WHO) to declare the ‘Decade of Action’ (2011-2020) on road safety.


In Victoria, a coordinated approach to the resuscitation and surgical management of the severely injured has reduced preventable deaths from injury by two thirds. Through attention to clear governance, coordination, research and education, The Alfred and the Victorian State Trauma system leads the world in delivering the best quality trauma care for the patients of Victoria; delivering the ‘right patient to the right place at the right time’.

The Alfred partnership has a long and successful history in International Emergency and Trauma programs through South-Eastern and Southern Asia and India. With this strong track record both locally and internationally, in 2015, the National Trauma Research Institute (the NTRI is a collaboration between The Alfred and Monash University) was chosen by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as an international partner to work collaboratively in its goal to reduce the burden of injury endured by the Saudi people. Situated in Riyhad - a city of more than seven million - King Saud Medical City (KSMC) will be the hospital at the focus of The Alfred agreement.

Dr Michael Noonan, Alfred Emergency and Trauma Centre/Monash Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, says the partnership will support KSMC attain accreditation as a Level 1 Trauma Centre and become a centre of excellence in trauma care for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. “This will be achieved through a collaborative partnership, focusing on trauma systems development, education, research and quality improvement,” he said.

Program components delivered by the NTRI partnership include:

• Multidisciplinary Trauma Team Training (the Trauma Reception and Resuscitation program)
• Trauma Services Development
• Trauma Systems Development
• Trauma Registry Development; and
• Trauma Research Institute Development

The delegates from KSMC - four medical and five nursing staff - have been immersed in the Victorian State Trauma System, including following a trauma patient journey within Alfred Health and with our partners at Ambulance Victoria and the Royal Children’s. They have also successfully completed Trauma Reception & Resuscitation (TRR) training and the Train the Trainer program which will allows them to teach the course on their return. Within this group are senior leaders within KSMC who will use their experience to help strengthen the trauma care within KSMC and the greater Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Key Facts

• KSMC is a major trauma centre in Riyadh, which is home to over seven million people.
• People with life-threatening but potentially treatable injuries are up to six times more likely to die in a country with no organised trauma system than in one with an organised, resourced trauma system.
• This program hopes to partner an inclusive, integrated trauma system for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.