New Delhi, December 8
In a landmark judgment, the Supreme Court today directed the Central Government to devise a scheme to ensure cashless (free) medical treatment during the ‘golden hour’ of road accident (motor accident) victims. Justice Abhay S Oka and Justice Augustine George Masih, citing Section 162(2) of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, directed the government to come up with a scheme by March 14 to provide timely and appropriate medical treatment to the accident victims. Lives can be saved. Section 2(12A) of the Act refers to the ‘golden hour’ as a window of one hour in which the life of an accident victim can be saved if he receives timely medical treatment. The bench said, “We direct the central government to frame the scheme by March 14 under sub-section (2) of section 162 of the MV Act.” No more time will be given after this. The apex court asked that a copy of the scheme be placed on record on or before March 21 with an affidavit from the concerned official of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways explaining the manner of its implementation. –News-Patiala
