ACS Health Sudhir Rajpal chairs review meeting of scheme to provide cashless emergency medical treatment to road accident victims

Chandigarh : Sh. Sudhir Rajpal, Additional Chief Secretary, Health and Family Welfare,  today chaired a review meeting on the implementation of the scheme aimed at providing free and cashless emergency medical treatment to road accident victims across the state.

During the meeting, it was informed that all hospitals empanelled under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) are by default automatically included under the road accident treatment scheme. However, it was highlighted that a greater number of hospitals need to be brought on board to ensure that accident victims receive timely and quality care at the nearest available health facility.

To address this gap, the Additional Chief Secretary issued directions to the Nodal Officer of the Clinical Establishments Act to instruct all registered private and government hospitals under the Act to also register under the Road Accident Victim Treatment Scheme—regardless of their participation in Ayushman Bharat. This move aims to expand the network of treatment centres and enhance access to immediate medical care, particularly in remote and accident-prone areas.

Sh. Rajpal emphasized the urgency of streamlining the empanelment process and ensuring robust coordination between the health department and hospital administrators. He also called for greater awareness among the public and hospital staff regarding the provisions of the scheme so that no accident victim is denied critical care due to administrative delays or lack of information.

The scheme, a key component of the state’s commitment to saving lives and reducing fatalities caused by road accidents, provides cashless treatment to victims in the crucial ‘golden hour’ following a traumatic incident.