Govt launches pilot programme for cashless treatment of road accident victims

Some states have implemented it, but now the Ministry of Roads in league with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare will be fully implementing it across the nation, he had said.

The government is launching a pilot programme to provide cashless treatment to road accident victims, under which they will be entitled to cashless treatment up to a maximum of Rs 1.5 lakh per accident, an official statement said on Thursday.

The statement further said the pilot programme -- being initiated in Chandigarh and developed under the aegis of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) -- is aimed at establishing an ecosystem for providing timely medical care to the victims of road accidents, including during the golden hour.

''The broad contours of the pilot programme are -- victims entitled to cashless treatment up to a maximum of Rs 1.5 lakh per accident per person for a maximum period of 7 days from date of the accident,'' it added.

The statement said claims raised by hospitals for providing treatment will be reimbursed from the Motor Vehicle Accident Fund.

According to the statement, the pilot project will be applicable to all road accidents caused by the use of motor vehicles on any category of road.

The National Health Authority (NHA) shall be the implementing agency for the pilot programme, in coordination with police, hospitals, State Health Agency (SHA) etc.

The programme will be implemented through an IT platform, combining the functionalities of the e-Detailed Accident Report (eDAR) application of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and the Transaction Management System (TMS) of NHA.

Based on the outcome of the pilot programme, expansion of the cashless treatment facility to the entire country will be considered, the statement added.

According to a new report released by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, a total of 4,61,312 road accidents occurred in 2022, which claimed 1,68,491 lives, while 4,43,366 people were injured. Road Transport and Highways Secretary Anurag Jain had recently said free and cashless medical treatment to accident-injured victims is part of the amended Motor Vehicle Act 2019 (MVA2019). Some states have implemented it, but now the Ministry of Roads in league with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare will be fully implementing it across the nation, he had said.

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