BHUBANESWAR: Odisha Government on Saturday decided to provide free treatment to victims of road accidents at private hospitals having trauma care facilities of level-1 standard. Health Secretary Pramod Kumar Meherda said Government will bear the medical expenses of accident victims for 48 hours after their admission. In the first phase the facility will be available at three hospitals: Apollo Hospitals and AMRI in Bhubaneswar and Ashwini Hospital in Cuttack.
It will be extended to other cities - Sambalpur, Rourkela and Berhampur in the next phase, he said. The authorities of these hospitals have been asked to provide free treatment to road accident victims, the Health Secretary said adding, “road safety is a matter of concern and emergency medical care plays a crucial role in reduction of fatalities,” he said.
The initiative will be of help to accident victims most of whose identity is not available immediately and they fall unconscious leading to trouble in admitting them to hospitals. As the condition of accident victims in the first 48 hours is very critical and may lead to death if not managed properly, the Government step will be helpful in saving precious lives.
The Health and Family Welfare Department has been provided Rs 4 crore from Odisha Road Safety Fund for reimbursement of treatment cost. If an accident victim is taken to the nearest private trauma care centre, the hospital will should start immediate appropriate treatment and intimate the Directorate of Medical Education and Training (DMET) about it, Meherda added.
The DMET will release a formal permission letter to go ahead with the treatment either by email or electronic media. At the end of 48 hours from the time of admission, the private hospital will submit supporting documents for examination and reimbursement of treatment cost within a week. A dedicated portal will be designed soon by the Health Department to monitor such cases, seek permission and release funds. State nodal officer for trauma care and programme assistant can be contacted at 9439991170 and 9437232987 respectively.
38 held for drunken driving on highways
Bhubaneswar: Odisha Police arrested 38 persons for driving under the influence of alcohol. They were all intercepted near 14 toll gates of the State after a breath analyser test. “Odisha Police launched a drive on Friday to detect cases of drunken driving on National/ State Highways at 14 toll gates. About 38 persons found under the influence of alcohol were apprehended under Sections 185 and 202 of Motor Vehicle Act. The drive will continue to curb drunken driving on the highways,” a release from Odisha Police Headquarters said. DGP BK Sharma has directed cops to ensure that no traffic congestion is caused near the toll gates while conducting the drive against drunken driving.