Delhi govt bore cost of 200 accident victims: Minister
5 May 2018 4:51 AM IST
NEW DELHI: As proposed earlier, the Delhi government has already borne the cost of 200 accident victims in the Capital, said health minister Satyendar Jain on Friday. According to the minister, the government has done a 'soft launch' of the project to understand the effectiveness and plan accordingly.
To provide medical assistance within the 'golden hour' of a mishap, the Delhi government has proposed to pay for treatment of victims of road accidents, acid attacks and fire-related incidents at private hospitals across the city. The golden hour is the first hour after any traumatic injury, and doctors say that treatment is most likely to be successful during that period. The decision was taken during a cabinet meeting chaired by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday. The proposal will now be sent to the Lieutenant Governor for approval.
According to Health Minister Satyendar Jain, Delhi sees around 8,000 accidents every year.
"Most of the time, people who help accident victims rush them to the nearest government hospital and not the one that is closest to the accident spot. As a result, the precious time within the golden hour is lost," Jain said.
A government official said that there is no cap on the cost of treatment and that it is also not limited to residents of Delhi.
"Anyone who meets accident in Delhi and needs immediate life-saving medical intervention will be covered under this policy. Only the medico-legal case (MLC) needs to be registered in Delhi to avail the benefits," Jain said.
Tuesday's decision is a continuation of the Good Samaritan Policy, which was passed by the cabinet in January this year. It was cleared by the Lieutenant Governor later.
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