With road accidents and fatalities on the rise, a host of initiatives, including cashless treatment, to provide immediate medical care on all stretches of national highways to the victims are on the anvil.
It has been found that the number of trauma care centres (TCC) along the NHs and State Highways are not enough to help road accident victims.
Besides asking the Health and Family Welfare (H&FW) Ministry to set up more TCCs, the Group of Ministers (GoM), constituted by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MORTH) to look into road safety and transport issues, has suggested a comprehensive scheme for capacity development in the trauma care sector in conjunction with the H&FW Ministry.
The GoM, in its report after a meeting at Dharmasala, has urged the Centre to set up a specialised wing within the non-communicable diseases department to address road safety issues.
Appropriate incentive schemes to attract expert medical professionals to trauma care have also been mooted.
The States have also been asked to run special training programmes for paramedical staff and ambulance attendants.
The GoM has also asked the States to explore the possibility of using corporate social responsibility (CSR) funding for specialised trauma care, including heli-borne emergency assistance.
Higher compensation in hit-and-run cases has been suggested in view of the rising inflation.
The maximum compensation in respect of death and permanent disability is Rs.4.80 lakh and Rs.7.20 lakh respectively under Section 163 A of the MV Act. “The process and various items of compensation need to be simplified and the rates need to be revised upwards,” the GoM has noted.
Raising concern over non-inclusion of drivers in third party insurance, the GoM has recommended that third party insurance must cover accidental insurance for hired /paid drivers to the extent of Rs. 50,000.
