Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari recently announced five-fold increase in the reward amount for the “Good Samaritan” scheme.
Launched in 2021, this award is extended to anyone who has saved the life of the road accident victim by administering immediate assistance and rushing the person to a hospital or trauma care centre within the Golden Hour. Currently, an award amount of ₹5,000 is given to the Good Samaritan, which the Minister said would be increased to ₹25,000.
As per reports, the Good Samaritan Award money was given to 80 people until December 2022 according to government data tabled in the Parliament.
The Hindu Downtown spoke to a cross-section of NGOs working in the area of road safety and found out the scheme is not popular among most citizens.
The RTO or the traffic police in the jurisdiction where the accident occurred is required to certify the individual as a Good Samaritan and share their details to the Transport Commissioner.
“During our workshops I ask volunteers if they had ever wanted to nominate themselves for the Good Samaritan Award and the response I got was we hand over the accident victim to the ambulance driver and leave the place,” says Karthik Venkatesan, manager – training and public affairs, Alert.
He has not come across any person who has applied or won this recognition since it was started.
Most of the workshops that train people on giving support during the Golden Hour also covers the Good Samaritian Law. “We encourage participants to come forward to be recognised as a Good Samaritian but there are gaps in the system that put off people. One is required to provide contact details to the doctor, introduce oneself as the one who handed over the victim to the hospital but how many of us have the time to stay till the end,” says Karthik.
Thozhan, another NGO that regularly runs road safety programmes, says none of its volunteers has been nominated for the Good Samaritain Scheme because the reporting format is hugely complicated.
“In a typical case, a first responder would either leave once the ambulance arrives or wait in the hospital till a family member attends to the victim. The Scheme requires verification from a police personnel which puts off many people,” says M. Radhakrishnan, founder of Thozhan.
The Road Transport and Highways Ministry announced this scheme so that taking a road crash victim to a hospital is not just hassle-free but there is also the incentive of a reward and recognition.
The Ministry’s website has instructions for filling road accident cases and reporting form including particulars such as certification by the police department and by the hospital.
The nomination for the Award is sent by the Transport Department of the State to the Ministry.
Thozhan has many volunteers who have helped accident victims but none of them is keen on applying for this Award. “Award is secondary especially when you know there are too many processes to be followed,” says Radhakrishnan, adding that they honour those who have helped accident victims every year during its annual day.
Many NGOs have been working with the government to empower private hospitals to attend to an accident case during the Golden Hour.
Other awards
* Every year, in the month of December, ALERT, a non-profit organisation that empowers people to act effectively during a crisis and save lives, invites nominations for its annual “Alert Being Awards”.
Individuals and organisatios that have created an impact through life-saving acts or initiatives can send their nominations to www.aba.alert.ngo
* The Cheistha Kochhar Good Samaritan Award is being instituted by Centre for Digital Economy Policy Research (C-DEP.org) in memory of Cheistha Kochhar. The award is being instituted at the behest of Sujit Bhattacharya, a young scholar who wants to use the nudge theory that Cheistha used to work on, to bring about change in society, says a note on the website.
Deserving candidates may be nominated through C-DEP.org for consideration.
“Private hospitals do not take accident victims. In many cases, the nearest government hospital is far away which is the reason for increasing fatality rates, so this rule must be relaxed,” says Radhakrishnan.
He says the process to submit the application for the Good Samaritan scheme must be simplified. “A majority of accident victims are taken through 108 Ambulance, so why not empower them to verify a first responder?” asks Radhakrishnan.
NGOs also want the Government to publish names of Good Samaritans on its platforms.
The hindrance to offering help
According to a study titled “Exploring the obstacles preventing good samaritans’ attending to the road crash victims: A case of a developing nation”, legal harassment, the bystander effect, fear of bloodshed, lack of altruism, and knowledge deficits are among obstacles hindering Good Samaritan behaviour.
The authors – Aditya Saxena from Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay and Binayak Choudhury from School of Planning and Architecture, Bhopal – surveyed 551 respondents to bring out the study published on Sciencedirect.
According to the World Health Organisation, during a road crash, bystanders can save lives in situations where established emergency medical services are not available. They can administer first-aid to the injured and even rush them to the nearest hospital.
The report also notes that there is no study in India that looks into the role of Good Samaritans in road crash incidents.
The study points out that there is a pressing need for public awareness campaigns to educate people about their legal rights and protections as Good Samaritans. Besides, efforts should be directed towards enhancing education and training programmes, particularly targeting individuals with lower levels of education and income.
Published – January 20, 2025 04:07 pm IST
