The High Court has directed the government to take necessary steps for providing emergency medical services to road accident victims at all government and private hospitals across the country.
The bench of justices Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury and Md Iqbal Kabir came up with the order yesterday, in response to a writ petition.
Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust and Syed Saifuddin Kamal, a social entrepreneur, filed the petition seeking a High Court order on the government to ensure emergency medical services to injured people at all hospitals and clinics.
The respondents are the Health Ministry, the Road Transport and Bridges Ministry, the Directorate of Health Services and the Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council.
The court also sought explanations within four weeks on why the failure to ensure that hospitals and clinics provide emergency medical services to critically injured persons should not be declared to be violation of the fundamental right to access emergency healthcare.
The court also asked the health secretary and the health directorate DG to explain why they should not be directed to require hospitals, clinics and doctors to ensure immediate emergency medical services when a critically injured person is brought to them, to forward such persons to the nearest emergency department, and to set up a complaints system.
The High Court also ordered the government to submit a report in three months on the progress of the process under the National Road Safety Strategic Action Plan 2014-16.
The court ordered measures to create public awareness on post-crash care and treatment of road accident victims through print and electronic media.
