Private hospitals must treat road mishap victims: Collector

Visakhapatnam: Those who get injured in accidents on national highways should be treated immediately at private and government hospitals, if not action would be taken as per Motor Vehicles Act Section 132 and Supreme Court direction, said Collector Pravin Kumar.

The Collector, on Monday in a meeting with doctors of private and government hospitals located nearby national highways, explained them about the National Highway Safety-Trauma Care units. He stressed that all the hospitals including private should be equipped with Safety - Trauma Care units to give primary treatment to the injured in road accidents.

Pointing out that even though some private hospitals were providing treatment, he said others were refusing to do so citing medico legal cases and other issues. Finding fault with this kind of actions as many are losing lives without getting golden hour treatment, he said the private hospitals must provide primary treatment and then shift the victim to nearby government hospital.

According to the collector, there has been 40 per cent decrease in accidental deaths. To improve this figure, he sought the private hospitals support. He asked officials concerned to improve 108 services in the areas where the hospitals were less. DM&HO Ramesh, district hospital co-ordinator Nayak, Regional Eye Hospital Narasimha and others attended the meeting. From now on, no private hospital should deny treatment for the victims of road accidents.