Mangaluru: The Dakshina Kannada health department will soon convene a meeting with private hospitals to ensure the effective implementation of the Prime Minister – Road Accident Victims’ Hospitalisation and Assured Treatment scheme (PM-RAHAT).The central scheme provides cashless treatment of up to Rs 1.5 lakh for road accident victims during the ‘golden hour’ (within an hour of the accident).District health officer Dr HR Thimmaiah said 45 road accident victims have availed themselves of treatment under the PM-RAHAT in the district since its launch this Feb. “The number of beneficiaries is lower due to the lack of awareness of the cashless treatment scheme. During the launch of the scheme, a meeting involving hospitals and the police department was held. We will convene a meeting soon involving all registered hospitals in the district to create a greater awareness of the scheme. All registered hospitals should compulsorily provide treatment under the scheme,” Dr Thimmaiah said.He added that issues including police approvals and technical procedures will be addressed, and that Arogya Mitras have been trained to educate the public about the scheme.The scheme, launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, provides cashless treatment to road accident victims for a maximum of seven days from the date of the accident. It is applicable to all victims injured in road accidents involving motor vehicles, irrespective of whether they belong to the above poverty line (APL) or below poverty line (BPL) category.Designated hospitals should provide stabilisation treatment under the scheme for up to 24 hours in non-life-threatening cases, and up to 48 hours in life-threatening emergencies. To access these benefits, the hospital must notify the local police station where the accident took place. The police must then digitally authenticate the accident via the electronic detailed accident report (eDAR) platform within 24 hours or, in life-threatening cases, 48 hours.On the Mukhyamantri Santwana Harish Yojane introduced by the Karnataka govt in 2016, the DHO said the scheme also provides cashless emergency medical treatment of up to Rs 25,000 to road accident victims during the critical first 48 hours.
