Bring out the Samaritan in you

BANGALORE: "Anyone can volunteer to shift a road accident victim to any hospital nearby. Henceforth, all you need to do before you leave the hospital/clinic is to record your name and address. No police follow-up is required."
Chief minister N. Dharam Singh''s ‘Bangalore Declaration for Healthy City'' had this significant public announcement for accident relief.
The announcement essentially means that hospitals and clinics cannot say they won''t admit road accident victims - identified or unidentified.
It also means that persons admitting the victim shall not be ‘unnecessarily'' harassed by inquiries and summons to police stations and courts unless the police have adequate evidence of the person''s involvement in the accident.
Organisations running emergency care services cite scores of examples of people and private hospitals unwilling to provide relief to accident victims, especially in cases involving head injuries.
"In the case of unidentified victims, there are instances when hospitals insist on holding back ambulances till the police arrive for investigation," they recall.
Managing director of Operation Sanjeevini, which runs the Comprehensive Trauma Consortium, N.K. Venkataramana, while hailing the chief minister''s announcement said: "There is a need to create a system which makes the people and private hospitals comfortable in handling accident victims. The police official and the health care provider up to the lowest rank should be thoroughly sensitised to help make Bangalore a Healthy City."
As DCP (East) Traffic M.A. Saleem put it: "The priority of the moment is to save a life and not about conforming to legal formalities. The police support has often been encouraging towards the public who want to help accident victims."
Nevertheless, Saleem suggested that the public should also take care to ensure that the victim was shifted to hospital properly. "Whenever possible, it is recommended that people who are trained in first aid should shift the victims or call for emergency relief care ambulances. Manhandling of a victim (particularly those with head injuries) due to ignorance can be avoided," he said.