Rs 147 crore corpus for first aid of accident victims

SAMBALPUR: Chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday said the state government has created a Rs 147 crore fund to provide immediate treatment cost to accident victims during the initial 48 hours, while launching the distribution of Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana (BSKY) smart health card at Kuchinda in Sambalpur district.
Expressing concern over the rising number of deaths due to road accidents, Naveen said, "If immediate treatment is provided to the accident victims, many valuable lives could be saved. It is essential to provide treatment to victims within the first 48 hours of the accident. The treatment cost of the first 48 hours of the accident victim will be borne from the fund."
Speaking on BSKY, Naveen said around 3.5 crore people of 96 lakh families will benefit from the BSKY card. "To meet health-related expenses, many people sell their land, gold and even stop the education of children. I get disturbed and shocked whenever I hear such incidents. Now, people can avail healthcare service free of cost at 200 big hospitals across the country with the help of this card," he said.
The chief minister also inaugurated and laid foundation of various projects worth Rs 1,553 crore. Among others, health minister Naba Kishore Das, rural development minister Susant Singh and deputy chief whip Rohit Pujari were present during the programme in Kuchinda.