555 roadside accident victims provided free emergency treatment this year: Gurugram Traffic Police

Under the scheme, anyone can avail the benefit of free emergency care or seven days of medical bills if the Investigative Officer (IO) assigned to the accident case by police confirms its severity through an Electronic Detailed Accident Record (e-DAR).

Under the Central government’s “Cashless treatment of road accident victims scheme, 2025”, around 555 people critically injured in roadside accidents have been provided with free initial treatment at government hospitals and Ayushman Bharat-empanelled hospitals in Gurugram district.

The victims of crashes got ₹1.5 lakh in aid between December 2024 and September 3 this year, according to the data.

According to data released by the district administration on Tuesday, the victims of crashes got ₹1.5 lakh in aid between December 2024 and September 3 this year, until the Ayushman Bharat designated portal stopped recording numbers.

Under the scheme, anyone can avail the benefit of free emergency care or seven days of medical bills if the Investigative Officer (IO) assigned to the accident case by police confirms its severity through an Electronic Detailed Accident Record (e-DAR), which needs to be taken to a designated hospital notified by the National Health Authority (NHA).

Traffic police officer said patients who are left severely injured receive free initial treatment based on an electronic detailed accident record (EDAR) verified by the station house officer (SHO) in the area. “Our zonal officers have been directed to help victims of a crash during the golden hour by transporting them to nearby hospitals and verifying their details in the six-hour window allowed under the scheme, providing financial assistance to them,” said a senior traffic officer, requesting anonymity.

According to the district’s health department, around 22 healthcare facilities actively participated in the scheme, providing relief to accident victims who cannot afford treatment. “Around 90% of these admissions took place in the government-run hospitals in Sector 10A, Sohna, Farrukhnagar and Pataudi,” a senior officer said.

The district administration officials said systemic support will be extended to accident victims in the coming months by linking the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) initiative to dial 112 emergency support, where the process to aid accident victims will begin from the scene of the accident.

Dr Ashish Tyagi, deputy civil surgeon in Gurugram, said that procedural issues within the internal portal of hospitals to onboard patients led to a temporary halt in services. “We are in touch with the central authorities to update the data on the Road Safety Awareness (RSA) panel. Meanwhile, the government hospitals are still providing the treatment to the accident victims,” said Dr Tyagi.

Officials at the National Informatics Centre (NIC), who wished not to be named, said hospitals are currently being empanelled as per the new provisions. “IDs of hospitals are being generated to link them directly to the deputy commissioner (DC)’s office, which will be responsible for releasing funds for accident victims. The scheme is expected to come into full swing in the coming weeks,” a senior NIC official said.

Under the directions of MoRTH, a dedicated fund has been set up for non-insured vehicles, as per district administration officials. “An extensive mapping exercise to estimate the number of such vehicle owners is underway before implementation of the new change introduced in the scheme,” the senior official added.