Delhi govt launches scheme to honour good samaritans who take accident victims to hospitals

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday launched a scheme to honour good samaritans who take accident victims to hospital, and said at least 3,000 lives were saved during the pilot project of the initiative which ran for 18 months.

"The chances of survival increase by 70-80% if an accident victim is taken to the hospital within one hour of his accident, which is the 'Golden Hour'," Kejriwal said while rolling out the 'Farishtey Dilli Ke'.

Under the scheme, the city government will incur the treatment expenditure of eligible road accident victims and give incentives to those who helped them.

He also honoured some of the 'farishteys' who rushed injured people to hospital and saved their lives during the the pilot period. NDMC employee Jitender Kumar was one such good samaritan.

In May last year, Kumar witnessed an accident victim lying on the road and rushed him to a hospital even as some of onlookers recorded videos of the victim.

"My clothes were soiled but I did not bother. People were making videos of the person who was writhing in pain and was severely injured. No one came forward to help. I rushed him to the nearest hospital and he survived," Kumar said.

A Delhi High Court lawyer, Haider Ali, also turned good samaritan for Aman, whose wife was crying for help when their scooter was hit by a motorcycle near the Karkardooma Court last year.

"She had been screaming for help for 10-15 minutes but nobody came forward. I took him to the hospital where he received treatment I have been in touch with him since then," he said.

Kejriwal said the Good Samaritan scheme had been initiated in 2017 on a pilot basis.

"We launched this scheme on a pilot basis one-and-a-half years ago to figure out and eradicate the complications during the whole process before a formal inauguration and implementation of the scheme. More than 3,000 lives have been saved through this initiative," he said.

Kejriwal said every life is precious and the government will do everything and spend whatever it can to save every life.

"I am delighted to be formally inaugurate the 'Farishtey Dilli Ke' scheme, and I hope that every Delhiite can be a Farishta one day," he said.

Kejriwal also spoke about how onlookers are worried about various liabilities that come their way if they take the accident victims to hospital.

"Earlier, people had inhibitions about taking accident victims to the hospital. On one hand, many hospitals would refuse to provide immediate treatment to the victim causing unease to the samaritan and on the other hand, the police would frame the samaritan for the accident under false charges."