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No Fear No Favour

Now Delhi Government Will Pay Hospital Bills For Acid Attacks Victims

In a step that would help the acid attack victims, and bring the treatment in the budget of the common people, the Delhi Government had announced that they will provide free medical treatment in government and in private hospitals.

The move comes after chairperson of Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) Swati Maliwal held a meeting with Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and health minister Satyendra Jain on Thursday to discuss the issue. A delegation of five acid attack victims also attended the meeting.

“Acid attack victims have to undergo recurring medical treatments. The Supreme Court had directed that hospitals should provide this treatment for free. While the direction was given, it had not been implemented,” the DCW chairperson said.

“Our aim is to save as many lives as possible. Precious hours are lost when police commute long distances to take the victims to a government hospital,” Delhi health minister Satyendra Jain said.

The government has shortlisted about 230 private hospitals in the city, which have more than 20 beds, intensive care units, and equipped to deal with emergency cases such as road accidents and burns. It was Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia who announced the scheme in January this year.

Accident victims are often left to die or left helpless because of the legal procedures. Simplifying the legal procedures involved in accident cases will encourage the people to help the victim.

The scheme will be available for the next two or three days.

The government will foot the bill for emergency aid, surgeries and two-week hospital stay in an economy or similar budget-category beds and wards.

“If the patient stay in the hospital is long, the regional director of health services can extend the benefit,” the health minister said.

The only condition is that the accident had happened in Delhi.

Private hospitals must provide details of all road accidents, burns and acid attack victims under their care within 12 hours of admitting them. The patient’s papers, including medico-legal documents, should be submitted to the government to get the free treatment. The move is expected to purge the problem of most private hospitals allegedly turning away accident patients to government hospitals over payment issues.

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