Keeping the rise in road accidents and rising casualties the Odisha Government’s ‘Good Samaritan’ policy should work as a trendsetter for other states. Under the policy Rs 2,000 would be given to any person extending immediate help in shifting a road accident victim to the hospital. This scheme is intended to encourage people shift road accident victims immediately to hospital. It will go a long way in saving precious human lives lost due to delayed hospitalisation. Litigation and police questioning often deterred the people to come to the aid of the distressed accident victims. The people who will shift victims to hospitals will be given cash incentive Rs 2,000 by the district administrations concerned. Besides, the administration will issue an appreciation certificate to recognise the noble work done by them. The acts of shifting will also give them legal protection. And police will be bereft of its legal right to summon or question them in connection with the accident. The move comes abiding the apex court order. The Supreme Court had earlier asked state governments to ensure that common people are not harassed by police while shifting accident victims to hospitals. The state transport departments had also issued guidelines requesting the administration for the launch of “good Samaritan” scheme with monetary rewards. Keeping Jammu and Kashmir’s track record as far as road causalities are where more people die on road than terrorism and more than 50 per cent cases are found to have met their end due to delayed hospital shifting such an initiative should be introduced taking a cue from the Odisha government. Timely medical attention could have saved many a lives. Keeping the hilly and far inaccessible areas J&K government should have well equipped and staffed trauma hospitals at every district headquarters and along the highways at vantage points from where relief can be made accessible. It would help reduce the time for an accident victim to reach a hospital. People are hesitant to help, mainly because they are scared of police investigation that follows road accidents. If the J&K government too adopts a policy like that many people will come forward to don the mantle of Good Samaritan, else all the efforts put in by such people go unnoticed.
