Autos first take mishap victims to hospitals: Jain

Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain on Friday said that auto- rickshaw drivers are the lead contributors for rushing the accident victims to hospitals for their emergency medical care. The police and ambulance reach later in such cases.

Speaking at a national conference on technology and innovations in healthcare delivery at PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mr Jain said the Delhi government awards the auto drivers with a petty incentive of 2,000 for this humanitarian gesture.

On the other hand, he said that the police and ambulance services come to the rescue of such victims at No. two and three positions, respectively.

Elaborating on the success of mohalla clinics in the city, Mr Jain added the government would soon set up a five- member managing panel. Around 100 health volunteers would be attached to each panel to manage and monitor the efficiencies in such clinics.

The government will also provide an annual honorarium of 3 lakhs so that these mohalla clinics sustain their performance and avoid possible deterioration of their services for good.

The minister also clarified that doctors and supporting staff in mohalla clinics are not paid off in the form of ' salary' since the government rewards their performance with fixed incentives, which continuously motivate them to render better and efficient medicare to the people in need.

The government would set up 24x7 call centres within these mohalla clinics through which the patients can make a phone call and seek emergency medical consultation, including prescriptions, in case he/ she is unable to negotiate the distance, said Mr Jain.

He added that the government would extend health insurance facilities for nearly two crores citizens for whom it would issue the health cards in which patients’ medical records would be available and the data registered in such cards would be owned by the patient alone.