Problems of taking road accident injured person to Hospital & Police Papers

SOME SUGGESTIONS TO OVERCOME IT

I hope, my last article was useful to concern persons. The below is not the article on special issue but I give below my observations and request the concerned Government Authority , Advocates, NGO , Social Worker to take necessary action and initiative to solve the below problems for the comforts and awareness of Indian Citizen.

When there is accident on city road or highway, the passers by vehicles do not stop to help the injured person, just everybody see it and go ahead saying “Kaun Police Ki Zanzat Me Pade “Here, people want to help the injured person but they avoid due to harassment of Police, if they take the injured person at near by hospital. I have read in Newspaper few years back that the law has been amended in this regard and there will be no questionnaire to the person who brings such road accident person at the hospital. But, I doubt that if there is such amendment in law, the police still continue the same old procedure to ask series of questions to the helper person. So if the law is not simplified or amended, it must be amended and informed to policeman about this amendment. Same way, the people also must be informed by paper advertisement and few hoardings in the city and villages, especially on high ways and city roads. This should be applicable to all states of India.

Other problem with the accident injured person, when is taken to hospital by good citizen

Or by 108 ambulances, the doctors do not treat the person immediately. First, hospital person will call police; police do not come immediately as they are over burden with their different duties, police will prepare the report and then his / her treatment starts which take couple of hours. There should be provision of act that the treatment of injured person should start immediately; the paper work of police shall be done prior or after the treatment. The life of the person is more important then the police procedure of papers. In majority of the cases, the importance of police paper is given, even if the injured person just dying on the stretcher.

For the above, all Government and Private Hospitals may be given some standard forms to fill up by them about the basic information required from the injured person and should start with the treatment immediately without waiting for the police to come .

Or there should be list of civil warden, social worker name and contact nos. out of that list, one person shall be called who stays near by the hospital in that area who may be authorized to fill up the necessary required detail in the forms in case of delay in police arrival or there is no police available at hospital.  This is just like volunteers of blood donors list. Blood donation is important same as immediate treatment of injured person is equally important.

Sometimes, the private hospitals, if the injured person is brought there, as it is near by hospital, they do not give treatment unless and until the advance payment is made.

Government should make some provision of payment like workers under ESI scheme to such injured person, if he can not pay immediately, the immediate, emergency treatment shall be given by that private hospital and the payment is given by Government of amount like Rs.25000/- something like that, so the life of the person can be saved and then the person shall be shifted to Civil Hospital.

 Recently, in my city, there was day time loot, when the person was going to Bank to deposit very big cash amount, he was shot dead and the chaser two persons were seriously injured by pistol firing. The injured persons were admitted by public to near by hospital but hospital authority waited for the advance payment to start the treatment. The police were interested to inquire to the injured persons about the incident, how it happened, and instead asking hospital persons to start with immediate treatment. Here, comes the question of law and order and security of the public. When the public person is injured by helping to catch the dacoits or such gun men, he should be given immediate treatment if admitted to private hospital. In such genuine cases, the complete payment must be given by State Government as it is the responsibility of Govt.

 I will welcome comment, suggestions on the above discussed issue concerned to public in daily life. Also request, Advocates and NGO, Social Workers to think on this line and do something to implement my suggestions and put into proper legal procedure & representation to the concerned Govt. Authority.

Madhukar Bhatt

Ahmedabad