Govt Launched Pilot Program in Chandigarh; Road Accident Victims to Receive Cashless Treatment

Published On: 19 March 2024
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The road accident victims will receive cashless treatment of up to INR 1.5 lakh per accident per person.

The central government has made it official that road accident victims will now receive cashless medical treatment at hospitals. The Centre unrolled its new pilot program to reduce the number of deaths caused by road accidents across India. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has developed this new pilot program in Chandigarh and will provide cashless treatment of up to INR 1.5 lakh per accident for each victim. Currently, India is among the top countries with the highest number of deaths in road accidents. According to reports, in India, around 1.68 lakh people died in road accidents in 2022.

As per the official statement released by the Central Government, cashless treatment will be provided up to 7 days from the day of the accident. In India, road accident victims often die because of the lack of proper medical treatment during the starting phase after the accident, also called the golden hour. The statement reads, “The broad contours of the pilot program 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.”

Under the new pilot program, victims suffering from all kinds of road accidents will be offered cashless treatment. The service is available to people who have suffered injuries from any kind of vehicle on the road. The hospitals can raise reimbursement claims for providing treatment to road accident victims from the Motor Vehicle Accident Fund.

The pilot program will be implemented by the National Health Authority (NHA). The organization will be coordinating with hospitals, police, and the State Health Agency (SHA). The Centre confirmed that the new scheme will be executed via an IT platform, which will have an accident report through which people can apply for the program. As of now, the scheme has been unveiled in Chandigarh. It will later be expanded to the rest of the states, depending on how the scheme goes.

When it comes to figures of road accidents, India is ranked among the top nations across the world. The country witnessed approximately 4.61 lakh vehicle accidents in 2022, resulting in around 1.68 lakh fatalities and an additional 4.43 lakh injuries. According to previous statements from the Center, it is aiming to reduce the number of road accidents by half by 2030. Prior to this, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari had set this goal for this year.