Odisha Man Rescues Accident Victim, Pays Rs 5,000 For His Treatment

Showing a humanitarian gesture proved costly for an Odisha native, who rescued and rushed a profusely bleeding road accident victim to the hospital and was instead asked to pay Rs 5000 from his pocket.

On April 21, the 45-year-old Neeraj Chaturvedi was going in his car when he saw some people trying to call the ambulance at an accident site near Pantha Niwas at around 2.15 pm. He found a man lying in a pool of blood and decided to immediately take the victim to RSP-run Ispat General Hospital (IGH) in Rourkela to save the golden hours.

On checking the patient, the doctors termed his condition critical and told Neeraj to deposit Rs 5,000 before the victim, Md Bashir, could be treated.

When Neeraj told them that the patient was not known to him and he had only helped get him to the hospital, the authorities stuck to their demand to deposit the money. Finding himself in a helpless condition, Niraj told them to admit the victim immediately as he was bleeding profusely, and he would arrange cash as he did not have the amount with him. Still, the doctors did not admit the patient.

For about 90 minutes, the victim was lying on the stretcher without treatment until he asked one of his friends to get the amount, The New Indian Express reported.

Incidentally, shortly after Neeraj left, Bashir's wife and daughter arrived, and the hospital authorities asked them to deposit more amount for further treatment.

As the family was financially poor, they expressed an inability to pay and took Bashir to Rourkela Government Hospital (RGH), from where doctors referred him to the JP Hospital. The patient continues to be critical at the hospital.

Informing about the incident to, the Sundargarh Collector, in a tweet, Neeraj asked, "Please suggest next time should I help or not as every time I cannot pay."

Administration Ensures Full Refund

Lauding Neeraj's humanitarian action, Sundargarh Chief District Medical and Public Health Officer (CDM&PHO) SK Mishra regretted that he had to pay the money, adding the administration would ensure a full refund. He said the RSP-run IGH is governed by SAIL's own rules and regulations, and he would talk to its Director about how such issues could be resolved.

However, the PR department of RSP denied delay or refusal of treatment for money and said the patient was immediately given first-aid and was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) even before completion of paperwork. The authorities said that it was the decision of the accident victim's family members to take him to RGH.

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