The Global Status Report on Road Safety 2018 published by the World Health Organization (WHO) points to India as one of the leading countries in terms of road accident fatalities. There are many reasons for road accidents like nonchalance of the drivers, pedestrians, and even vehicle-related failures. Among the reasons is also the post-accident scenario where the requisite actions that could save the life of the crash victim are not taken.
The concept of Golden Hour refers to the window of opportunity right after the injury when an intervention is made at the earliest that could impact the survival of the patient. It has been observed that the sooner a trauma victim reaches the emergency care unit, the better the chance of their survival. Several studies have shown how golden hour interventions have a considerable impact in terms of trauma mortality.
R. Adams Cowley, founder of Shock Trauma Institute, Baltimore came up with the term Golden Hour in the year 1975. He called it the time between life and death. According to him, if a person is critically injured, rather than dying right away, that person might have less than sixty minutes for any chance of survival. However, this isn’t a statement or theory that is proved yet. But the concept of Golden Hour plays an important role even in the current situation as this spreads the importance of seeking urgent medical treatments in cases of trauma.
In the Public Interest case filed in the Supreme Court on the need for emergency care of victims of the accident, the Supreme Court of India stated in [Parmand Katra Vs Union of India, AIR 1989 SC 2039] as follows: “Every injured citizen brought for medical treatment should instantaneously be given medical aid to preserve life and thereafter the procedural criminal law should be allowed to operate to avoid negligent death. There is no legal impediment for a medical professional when he is called upon or requested to attend to an injured person needing his medical assistance immediately. The effort to save the person should be the top priority not only of the medical professional but even of the police or any other citizen who happens to be connected with the matter or who happens to notice such an incident or a situation.”
Scheme for Cashless Treatment of the Accident Victim During the Golden Hour: Section 162 of Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019 provides a Scheme for Golden Hour which lays down that “notwithstanding anything contained in the General Insurance Companies (Nationalization) Act, 1972 or any other law for the time being in force or any instrument having the force of law, the Insurance Companies for the time being carrying on general insurance business in India shall provide in accordance with provisions of this Act and the Schemes made under this Act for the treatment of road accident victims, including during the Golden Hour. The Central Government shall make a Scheme for the cashless treatment of victims of the accident during the Golden Hour and such Scheme may contain provisions for the creation of a fund for such treatment.”
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