Mumbai: Doctors write to govt to bear expenses of victim for first 48 hrs of treatment

Mumbai: Doctors from Maharashtra have written to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to start a scheme under which immediate monetary and medical care can be provided to accident victims free of cost for the first 48 hours. A senior official from the ministry said that a similar scheme to offer Rs 30,000 to accident victims is in pipeline and will be named after Balasaheb Thackeray.

Dr Abhijit More, founder of Jan Arogya Abhiyan, an NGO that works for health services has filed a petition on Change.org seeking the same rule in Maharashtra. Doctor groups are also supporting it. “Many times it is seen that private hospitals refuse to admit accident victims as they feel they are poor. Patients are asked to pay hefty advance amount first and golden hour is wasted in collecting money or trying to locate a government hospital in the vicinity of the accident while the victim’s life hangs in a balance,” said Dr More.

Data from National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) reveal that during 2011 to 2016, Maharashtra witnessed the death of 78,317 persons in road accidents while 2, 47,402 were injured.

A senior official from Directorate of Health Services Maharashtra said a scheme is in pipeline to ensure that financial struggles don’t become a hurdle in treatment for accident victims. “Under the scheme, we have proposed that a sum of Rs 30,000 will be immediately offered to the accident victims if the incident takes place within the jurisdiction of the state of Maharashtra,” said Dr Satish Pawar, Director DHS.