Cashless Treatment Scheme For Road Accident Victims: All You Need to Know

Pragya Pathak

Author

Updated: 28-01-2025 at 7:42 AM

The Cashless Treatment Scheme for Road Accident Victims was introduced by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, meant to offer important medical care immediately after an accident during what is called the first critical hour after an accident. This is applicable throughout the country and ensures that the treatment of victims is carried out without worrying about their money, thus improving outcomes and saving lives.

Key Highlights Of The Scheme

The scheme provides cashless medical treatment for road accident victims to help them recover quickly. It also supports families with compensation in hit-and-run cases. Here are the key highlights of the scheme:

Cashless Treatment Coverage

Victims of motor vehicle accidents are eligible for health benefits packages covering trauma and polytrauma cases.
Treatment expenses up to ₹1.5 lakh per incident are covered, with a treatment period limited to seven days post-accident.
The scheme is implemented at hospitals recognised under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri-Jan Arogya Yojana (ABPMJAY).

Implementation Mechanism

The National Health Authority (NHA) collaborates with police, hospitals, and state health departments.
Victims can access the scheme via an IT platform integrating the e-Detailed Accident Report (eDAR) application and the NHA’s Transaction Management System.

Compensation for Families

In hit-and-run cases, families of victims receive a compensation of ₹2 lakhs in case of fatalities.

Significance Of The Scheme

This government program plays an important part in protecting lives by offering quick medical help following traffic accidents. The primary goal is to improve road safety by reducing the number of accidents, especially among youth and children. The importance of this scheme can be summarised as follows:

This meets the urgent need for rapid medical help within the golden hour, which increases survival rates.
Focused on keeping people on the road safe where the state pays the expenses for medical attention if the police are called within 24 hours of the crash.
Focused on young people likely to have accidents especially those aged 18-34 years which form 66% of accident victims.
Focused on ensuring the safety of children around schools and colleges to protect them from avoidable deaths caused by poor facilities.

Additional Initiatives

DDA is taking additional actions to assist victims of road accidents and improve the urgent help to the events. The goals of this plan are to encourage citizens to assist others in difficulty and improve support systems. The details of these initiatives are given as follows:

1. Scheme for Good Samaritan

This one offers rewards for people who help people hurt in accidents in an urgent situation in the first hour after an accident.
A cash award of ₹ 5,000 is earned for each life-saving help given.

2. Emerging Trends

The government officials plan to introduce a new emergency response system for accident victims within March 2025.

Conclusion

In India, the Cashless Treatment Scheme for Road Accident Victims serves as a lifeline which can be a game-changer concerning road safety and emergency medical assistance. The scheme is a huge step during the life-saving process of a road victim helpful in reducing the rising numbers of road deaths in the country.

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