Now, it pays to be a good samaritan
INCENTIVE Approved by cabinet in January 2017, the scheme to give ₹2,000 to those helping road accident victims has come into effect
NEW DELHI: Nearly 18 months after Delhi Cabinet’s approval, the ‘Good Samaritan scheme’ became operational 10 days ago introducing monetary benefits for those who come to the help of accident victims. The scheme was announced in August 2016 when a man had bled to death in Subhash Nagar after being hit by a tempo.
The Subhash Nagar incident highlighted that timely help from passersby could save lives as in the case of another accident victim SR Kataria who was lucky to have found help when he met a massive accident in north Delhi six months ago. The man who came to his help was another commuter Anil Sharma, a civil defence personnel, who was travelling in the bus that had hit Kataria’s car.
“The bus driver at once started speeding away. I persuaded him to stop and help the people in the car, but as soon as I got off the bus, he drove off,” Sharma said. He peered through the car window and saw a wounded man, Kataria, with lots of blood everywhere. “I asked the people around to help me turn the vehicle back up. We managed to get him out and took him to a nearby nursing home in an auto,” said Sharma.
Kataria, who works with the Municipal Corporations of Delhi, had multiple skull and spine fractures, which the nursing home was not equipped to treat. So Sharma asked his colleagues to contribute money for an ambulance to move him to a bigger hospital.
“He did not have an ID card. I didn’t know who to call so I decided to ensure that he received good treatment. We collected nearly Rs 10,000 to pay for his ambulance and initial treatment,” said Sharma.
“I am thankful that there was someone who could help my father. It is because of Anil Sharma that he is alive today,” said Anurag Kataria, 28, his son.
No. of accidents reported from Chennai — the highest (9.3% or total accidents) in the country
Number of deaths reported in accidents in Delhi. This was 7.7% of the total fatalities, the highest in India
A 40-year old e-rickshaw bled to death in west Delhi’s Subhash Nagar as nobody helped him for nearly 90 minutes
Two brothers died and the third was left battling for life after their motorcycle hit a road divider in Old Nangal Raya area of Delhi Cantonment. One of the brothers begged the passing cars to stop and help but no one cared
An 18-year bled to death in Karnataka after a state transport bus ran him over and the passersby clicked pictures and made videos Anurag has also helped road traffic accident victims to a hospital. Three years ago, he took a family of four to a hospital after an accident in Sonipat.
Close to 8,000 road traffic accidents involving 15,000-20,000 people take place every year in Delhi. More than 1,600 people die and several others are permanently disabled because they do not get medical attention in time.
The Delhi Cabinet approved the scheme in January 2017, and it finally became operational 10 days ago. People who help accident victims reach hospital will receive a reward of ₹2,000 and a citation from the government. “In case there is more than one person helping, the reward will be distributed equally,” a senior Delhi government official said.
“There were procedural delays, but now the scheme has started. We have asked the private hospitals that when they get such cases in their emergencies, they must take down details — name, account number, phone number etc — of good Samaritans and pass it on to the concerned Chief District Medical officer (CDMO) for reward,” the official said.