A gesture of charity for rail mishap victims

Amicus Curie (friend of the court) Jamshed Mistry,who appears in the charitable hospital case,came up with the idea which he shared with the president of the Association of Hospitals Colonel M Masand who agreed to the cause.

Masand said that every charitable hospital closest to the victim will extend its full cooperation irrespective of the victim’s financial status.

“We won’t charge anything. We will give treatment and admit the victim if necessary,” Masand stated.

Masand said that matters of money will come later and if the victim cannot afford it he won’t be charged. “Saving life will be the priority,” Masand said.

Mistry,who also appears in the railway case,feels it would be helpful to rail accident victims if charitable hospitals extend their services to such victims. “I spoke to the association president and he has agreed to this. Now,we will inform the court about this when the case comes up for hearing this week,” Mistry said.

In the railways case,the court had last month asked Mistry and others to make surprise visits to small and big stations to verify claims made by the railways including number of ambulances kept ready.

The court had said that the case has been pending for long and so far the railways had not even provided a well-equipped ambulance.

“You are not even concerned about a person who is dying,” Chief Justice Kumar had remarked while passing the order.

The court was hearing a PIL filed by Samir Zaveri who himself had lost his legs in a rail accident 20 years back. Zaveri had told this newspaper how a passenger had taken him to a hospital as there was no help from the railways.

Following the PIL,a committee was constituted in 2004 which recommended upgradation of railway facilities.

As for charitable hospitals,in October 2005,the HC had constituted an expert committee headed by the joint charity commissioner to give recommendations under the BPT Act. The panel filed its report in April 2006 following which the court accepted the recommendations with modifications.

The scheme obliges the charitable hospitals to reserve beds for poor patients,give emergency treatment to poor patients and have a fund for poor patients.

As per the HC order,these hospitals are expected to reserve 10 per cent of beds free for poor patients (annual income less than Rs 25,000) and provide treatment at concessional rates for 10 per cent patients from economically weaker sections (annual income less than Rs 50,000).