Centre to Provide Cashless Treatment for Road Accidents Victims

March 15, 2024

GS Paper II Governance

Context

Recently, The Government of India has launched a pilot program to provide cashless treatment to the victims of road accidents caused by the use of motor vehicles.

Pilot Program For Cashless Treatment of Road Accident Victims

Aim: To establish an ecosystem for providing timely medical care to the victims of road accidents, including during the golden hour.

Golden Hour: According to the Motor Vehicles Amendment Act, 2019,

It is the one-hour period following a traumatic injury during which there is the highest likelihood of preventing death by providing prompt medical care.

Motor Vehicle Accident Fund:

Legal Mandate: The Central Government shall constitute a Fund under Section 164(B)(1) of the Motor Vehicles Amendment Act, 2019.
Purpose:
- To treat any person injured in road accidents according to the golden hour scheme.
- To compensate the dependents and other representatives of individuals who died in hit-and-run accidents.
- To provide compensation to any person grievously injured in a hit-and-run accident.
Creation of the Fund:
- The fund will be replenished by all payments of a specified nature as notified by the central government.
- Utilization of the existing balance of the Solatium Fund (money already available under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988).

Legal mandate: Under section 162 of Motor Vehicles Act, 1988
Initiated in: Chandigarh
Developed by: Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.
Implementing Agency: The National Health Authority (NHA) in coordination with police, hospitals, State Health Agency (SHA).
Broad contours of the pilot program are:
- Cashless Treatment Benefits to the Victims:
  - up to a maximum of Rs. 1.5 lakhs per accident per person.
  - for a maximum period of 7 days from the date of accident.
- Beneficiary:
  - All road accidents caused by the use of motor vehicles on any category of road.
- Benefits will be Opted from:
  - AB PM-JAY packages for trauma and polytrauma cases being co-opted.
  - Claims raised by hospitals for treatment Reimbursed from: The Motor Vehicle Accident Fund.
- Establishing IT platform: An IT platform combining the functionalities of the eDAR application of MoRTH and the Transaction Management System (TMS) of NHA.
- Expansion: Based on the outcome of the pilot program, expansion of the cashless treatment facility to the entire country will be considered.

The Integrated Road Accident Database (iRAD) / e-Detailed Accident Report (eDAR) Project

Objective: Development of Integrated Road Accident Database (iRAD), to enrich the accident databases from every part of the country.
Nodal Agency: Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), Government of India and
Funding Partner: World Bank
Methodology: Analysing the Data through implementation of Data analytics technique. & Represent the analysis output through the Monitoring & Reporting Dashboard & Analytics Dashboard.
Outcome: Enhanced road safety i.e., ‘Safe Road for All’ in India.

Good Samaritan Scheme

Launched on: 3rd Oct 2021 by the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways
Objective: To motivate the general public to help road accident victims in emergencies and motivate others to save innocent lives.
Provisions: It grants an award to the good samaritan who has saved the life of a victim of a fatal accident (involving a motor vehicle) by administering immediate assistance and rushing to the Hospital/Trauma Care Centre within the Golden Hour of the accident
Award & Certificate: As per the Scheme Guidelines, the amount of award for each Good Samaritan would be Rs. 5,000/- per incident & a certificate of appreciation.

Also Read: Insurance Sector In India

News Source: The Hindu

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