Delhi Government To Pay Bills For Acid Attack, Road Accident Victims to Private Hospitals

NEW DELHI:  Delhi government will bear the expenses for treatment of road accident, burn and acid attack victims in private hospitals.

Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain said saving lives was the priority as precious time is lost when long distances are covered to take the victims to a government hospital.

"Delhi govt will bear the expenses of treatment in pvt hospitals of people injured in road accidents, victims of burns and acid attacks (sic)," Mr Jain tweeted.

"Aim is to save as many lives as possible. Precious time is lost when long distances are covered to take the victims to a govt hospital (sic)," he tweeted, adding, "Often pvt hospitals either don't admit road accident victims or simply stabilise the patients before sending them off to a govt hospital (sic)".

Meanwhile, Mr Jain also inaugurated 125 ventilators at the Lok Nayak Hospital in New Delhi.

The AAP government had recently raised the compensation for acid attack survivors. The government had informed the Delhi High Court that it has raised from Rs. 3 lakh to Rs. 7 lakh. The submission was made when the court was hearing the plea of several women who are survivors of acid attack against the cap on compensation to be awarded in such cases.

The Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) has claimed that the acid is available in Delhi despite Supreme Court ordering ban on its sale. In wake of increasing acid attacks, the Supreme Court had in 2013 banned over-the-counter sale of acid at retail outlets and ordered a compensation of Rs. 3 lakh to be paid by the state governments to each acid attack victim.