Emergency medical care to curb highway deaths,state tells court

The first and second phase of the project will cost Rs 109.60 crore including purchase of 690 specialised ambulances,which will be borne by National Rural Health Mission funds,while the recurring expenditure will be borne by the state government,the affidavit states.

The state’s decision was prompted following a PIL filed by Dr Shyam Kulkarni who has a hospital along the Pune-Bengaluru highway. Kulkarni had stated that the state didn’t pay him after a patient was brought to his hospital following an accident involving a Karnataka State Transport Corporation bus. However,the court had widened the scope of the PIL and asked the state to take measures to curb accidents on highways. Gokhale said that the government has already approved a proposal to provide an emergency medical response and has decided to adopt the procedure followed by Delhi,Punjab,Haryana and Rajasthan governments. Since these states had appointed a consultant for formulating the contract documents,Maharashtra too has appointed three consultants who have been short-listed for the purpose,she said. The Division Bench of Justice J N Patel and Justice B R Gavai expressed satisfaction but was apprehensive when the state sought adjournment for nine months to implement the scheme. The court,however,has asked the petitioner’s counsel Anilkumar Joshi to file his suggestions and complaints based on the proposal within four weeks.

The state had earlier informed the court that as per a circular issued on August 29,the powers of the traffic police have now been extended to the highways.