Kirron for Good Samaritan law to save accident victims

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 15

“Why don't people come forward to help injured victims on the road?” That's the question BJP MP from Chandigarh Kirron Kher raised today speaking on the need for a Good Samaritan law in India.  Kher, who introduced a Private Member's Legislation in Lok Sabha this Friday, titled Good Samaritan (Protection from Civil and Criminal Liabilities) and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill, 2014, joined SaveLife Foundation to deliver a petition on the issue to Health Minister JP Nadda.

"The thought behind the Good Samaritan Bill is to encourage bystanders to become Good Samaritans, take away problems that discourage them. The objective is to ensure that ordinary people who help injured persons are not punished for their good actions by facing harassment and intimidation," Kher said.

SaveLife Foundation meanwhile says that rapid emergency care, including assistance from bystanders, can save over 70,000 lives every year and a Good Samaritan law can create that environment. According to a national study by SaveLIFE in 2013, three out of four people in India are unlikely to step forward to help an injured person on the road. 

The Bill looks at three important aspects of this issue: the rights of a Good Samaritan who helps a victim in need of emergency care, the duties of a hospital with respect to provision of emergency care and first aid, and directions to law enforcement authorities with regard to questioning a Good Samaritan. The petition which Kher submitted to Nadda today is being supported by 85,000 people.