NEW DELHI: No private hospital can deny treatment to victims of accidents and fires which occur within the geographical boundary of Delhi, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced on Tuesday after a Cabinet meeting.
The government will not hesitate to take strictest possible action against hospitals which do not provide medical relief in such cases, he warned.A scheme in this regard already exists since February last year, wherein the government reimburses the amount spent on treatment of such patients. Till April this year, the lives of 2,501 victims were saved as they were taken to hospitals on time, the chief minister said.
“In the medical field, it is said that the first hour is extremely critical for accident and burn victims, and if medical help is provided to such victims within the golden hour, their lives can be saved. Keeping this in mind, the Delhi government had brought out this scheme. We held a meeting with all the hospitals in Delhi, as some of them were not following this scheme,” Kejriwal said. “Some complaints have been received recently, in which it has been brought to light that some private hospitals have refused treatment. Should they be denied free treatment, failing which the Delhi government will not hesitate to take strictest possible action against such hospitals.”
The Delhi government has already launched a Good Samaritan scheme, under which any citizen who takes victims of such cases to hospitals is provided `2,000 as a goodwill gesture. According to the government, only 100 such cases have come up so far.
“Of the 2,501 victims who were treated in private hospitals, you will be surprised to know that only 100 individuals came forward to claim the Good Samaritan amount. People say it is sufficient that they have saved lives and they don’t need money,” the CM said.