Ensure timely treatment of accident victims: Kurukshetra SP to health officials

Kurukshetra Superintendent of Police(SP) Nitish Agarwal on Saturday issued directions to the district health officials and representative of private hospitals to train ambulance drivers and the support staff to identify the injuries of the road accident victims and rush them to the appropriate hospital.

A meeting was held at the Police Lines in Kurukshetra regarding the smooth implementation of the cashless treatment scheme for road accident victims in the district. Deputy Civil Surgeon Dr Pradeep Kumar, representatives of private hospitals, ambulance drivers and support staff members were present during the meeting.

The SP inquired about the issues being faced by the ambulance drivers while taking the victims to the hospitals and issued directions to the Health Department officials to resolve the issues.

While issuing directions regarding the cashless treatment scheme, the SP said collective efforts were required to provide timely and cashless treatment to the road accident victims.

SP Nitish Agarwal said, “People lose their lives in road accidents hence, this is our collective responsibility to reduce road accidents. In case of any road accident, the ambulance staff is among the first respondents to reach the accident spot hence they must have all required training about how to handle a road accident victim.”

“The staff must be trained to identify the kind of injuries the victim has suffered and, accordingly, take the victim to the hospital that has facilities to treat the victim. The ambulance driver and the support staff should also have a list of government- empaneled hospitals, their locations and distance so that the victims are provided in-time treatment and are not referred in the absence of the required facilities,” he added.

Kumar said cashless treatment was provided to the road accident victims under the provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act. The scheme has been formulated by the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH). The scheme covers cashless treatment up to Rs 1.5 lakh per person per accident, for a maximum of seven days from the date of the incident.

Smooth implementation of the scheme has been a concern for the Police Department and the district administration. Recently, during the monthly Road Safety Committee meeting, Kurukshetra Deputy Commissioner Neha Singh had also expressed concerns and warned that the government-empaneled hospitals ignoring guidelines regarding the treatment of accident victims would face strict action.

Emphasising the government’s directives, the DC had said all empaneled private hospitals were mandated to treat individuals injured in road accidents as per prescribed norms. She noted that some private hospitals were neglecting these obligations and assured that stringent action would be taken against any hospital failing to comply.

Haryana Tribune