Bank tasks drivers on good health

AS part of its Corporate Social Responsibilities (CRS), Keystone Bank has charged professional drivers who convey commuters across different cities of the country to pay attention to their health as a strategy to prevent road traffic accidents.

Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Keystone Bank, Philip Ikeazor who made the call in Lagos said when the drivers are in good health, it would reduce the incidence of highway accidents.

Ikeazor, who was represented by Executive Director, Corporate Bank and Treasury, Hafiz Bakare spoke at the Health and Eye Screening project organized by Keystone Bank in partnership with the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Public Health Partners (PHP) and the Eye Foundation Hospital.

The Keystone Bank health and eye screening initiative tagged Think Road Safety, Save Lives, is in line with the FRSC projection to reduce road traffic accidents by 50 percent by 2015. Similarly, it aligns with the United Nations General Assembly resolution of 2010 calling for a Decade of Action for Road Safety from 2011 to 2020.

A statement issued by the bank explained that the health screening exercise for long distant drivers held at the Ekesons Motor Park in Jibowu, Yaba and the Ojota New Garage Park in Lagos State

According to the statement, hundreds of drivers from several motor companies operating in several motor parks participated in the screening exercise, adding that majority whose vision were found to be deficient got free medicated eye glasses for improved vision apart from being counseled on healthy living.

In an address titled, Health in the Driver’s Seat, Bakare said the Keystone Bank’s Think Road Safety, Save Lives project is one of the Bank’s CSR initiatives.

He said it is driven by the need to identify with and support the transport sector because “we believe that this would improve safety on our roads thereby saving lives.”

According to him, the scope of the exercise is for interstate commercial transport drivers to check for diabetes, hypertension and cholesterol and to ascertain their blood group and the state of their eyes, while the Eye Foundation personnel conducted tests for glaucoma, visual and automated refraction.