The Karnataka government will launch a scheme to provide immediate cashless treatment to accident victims on March 8, according to UT Khader, Karnataka Health Minister.
Addressing presspersons in Mangaluru on Monday, he said accident victims will be provided immediate treatment of up to ₹25,000 in the first 48 hours under this scheme. The intention is to save the life of the victim during the golden hours after accident.
He said many people admit accident victims to the nearest hospitals on humanitarian grounds. The procedures related to payment of fees at the time of admission make it difficult for many people in accident cases.
He said the accident victim should not suffer on account of this problem. Considering this, the government has taken a decision to launch the scheme.
He said the victim either regains consciousness within 48 hours and can then choose the hospital of his choice for further treatment, or family members of the victim would be there to decide the future course of action.
Stating that there was no need for giving elaborate details at the time of admitting an accident victim under this scheme, he said the software developed for this purpose generates a unique ID of the patient based on the basic details such as the gender and age of the victim.
Currently around 200 hospitals in the state have been empanelled for this scheme. The state government had earmarked ₹10 crore for implementing the scheme in 2015-16. The Health Department has requested the Chief Minister to earmark ₹75 crore in the Budget for 2016-17, he said.
The scheme has been named the ‘Mukhya Mantri Santwana Harish Yojane’, he added.