BENGALURU: THE hesitance of the public in coming to the aid of accident victims due to the fear of getting embroiled in court cases, is leading to the loss of thousands of precious lives every year.
The state Cabinet on Wednesday decided to bring a Good Samaritan Bill as part of its efforts to ensure speedy medical aid for accident victims and encourage people to offer assistance to such victims without the fear of any legal inconvenience.
The proposed bill, which is being framed in accordance with a Supreme Court order, has asked the Union government to frame guidelines for the protection of ‘Good Samaritans’, or helpful bystanders, and a Standard Operating Procedure. This will have provisions to ensure that the Good Samaritans are not harassed due to legal procedures for having helped the victims.
Announcing the decision, Law and Parliamentary Affairs minister T B Jayachandra said, the proposed Good Samaritans and Medical Professional Protection Bill will have provisions to encourage people to rush to the aid of accident victims, provide them first aid and get them admitted to hospital.
The bill would have a provision for reimbursing the expenses incurred by the Good Samaritan in the process of rendering help for the accident victim including the cab fare for taking the victim to hospital. A sum of `5 crore has already been provided in the budget for the purpose.
The provisions will also ensure that the good samaritans are not repeatedly summoned for court proceedings and other legal obligations related to the accident, Jayachandra said.
It will be mandatory for private and government hospital staff to render medical aid to the victims without waiting for procedure. Any lapse in adhering to this rule will invite criminal case against the hospital, he added.