Guwahati: People generally avoid assisting or reaching out to a person in need on the road or after an accident because they are afraid of police investigations and other legal procedures, even though it is our duty as citizens to assist someone in need.
While police and governments frequently state that assisting an injured individual after an accident is a humanitarian act for which you will not be prosecuted.
Despite this, ordinary people are afraid to take the injured to the hospital. However, the Indian government has launched a one-of-a-kind programme to address this issue.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways said on Monday that it has created a system for ‘Good Samaritans” under which people who save the lives of road accident victims by transporting them to a hospital within the ‘golden hour’ after the accident will receive a financial reward of Rs 5,000.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) announced in a letter to all state and union territory principals and transport secretaries that the programme will be in force from October 15, 2021, to March 31, 2026.
The ministry released guidelines for a “scheme for grant of the award to a Good Samaritan who has saved the life of a victim of a fatal motor vehicle accident by administering immediate assistance and rushing to hospital/trauma Care Centre within the Golden Hour of the accident to provide medical treatment.”
Aside from the prizes awarded in each case, the ministry stated that there would be ten national-level awards of Rs 1,000,000 each for the most deserving Good Samaritans (to be chosen from all those who have been honoured during the year).
If more than one Good Samaritan saves the lives of several victims, the prize will be Rs 5,000 per victim rescued, up to a maximum of Rs 5,000 per Good Samaritan, according to the rules.
The ‘golden hour,’ or the one hour following a severe injury when early medical attention has the best chance of averting mortality, is referred to as the ‘golden hour.”
(With inputs from agencies)
