As many as 456 persons who met with various road accidents across the state have been treated under the Tamil Nadu Government’s Innuyir Nammai Kaakum 48 (Emergency care scheme) in the first four days of its launch.
The ambitious scheme provides for free treatment for the first 48 hours after an accident in 609 hospitals of which 408 are from the private sector in the state. The scheme also covers those from other states and abroad.
Chief Minister M K Stalin launched the scheme in Chengalpattu district on December 18 and visited the accident victims receiving treatment at the Melmaruvathur Adhiparasakthi Institute of Medical Sciences and Research.
Data released by the Health Department said 372 accident victims received or were receiving treatment at government hospitals, while the number at private hospitals is 84 from December 18 to December 21. A total of Rs 40 lakh has been spent by the government on the medical expenses of the victims.
While 31.67 lakh has been incurred as costs in government hospitals, Rs 9.26 lakh has been spent in private hospitals. Chengalpattu district topped the list with 38 persons who met with accidents getting treated under the scheme, followed by Kallakurichi (29), Tiruppur (27), Pudukkottai (26), Theni and Thanjavur (24 each), Tiruchirappalli (23), and Tiruvannamalai and Virudhunagar (21 each).
The scheme will be implemented for 12 months and will be integrated with the Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme. Officials said the scheme’s aim was to ensure that those who meet with accidents are treated immediately. They also said that a new law on the emergency response will be brought in the Tamil Nadu Assembly next year.
Health experts have welcomed the move as it allows accident victims to rush the nearest hospital without thinking about the cost. Under the scheme, anyone who meets with an accident will be eligible to get free treatment up to Rs 1 lakh for 48 hours at over 600 hospitals. The government has allotted Rs 50 crore as the initial fund for the scheme.
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