New Sindh law binds hospitals to treat injured first, fulfill legalities later

KARACHI: Sindh Assembly on Monday has unanimously passed Amal Umer Bill, seeking to provide medical aid and treatment to any injured person before completion of medico-legal formalities, ARY News reported.

As per the bill passed by the provincial assembly of Sindh, all government and private hospitals of the province have been bound to provide immediate medical aid and treatment to the injured persons.

“No hospital or doctor shall demand any payment for providing compulsory medical treatment or other such medical assistance from victim, if he or she is unable to make payment. The cost of compulsory medical treatment shall be borne by the government,” the act states.

The injured persons will be shifted to a government hospital immediately after their condition stabilises. “If he or she chooses, they may remain in the private hospital subject to paying the charges of the hospital,” one of the clauses of the bill reads, whereas, a fine of Rs. 500,000 will be slapped over hospitals failing to act on the criteria described in the act.

The bill further adds: “It shall be mandatory for all hospitals or any institution (enjoying status of a hospital) to have fully equipped and functional ambulances in case the injured person is to be shifted to another hospital,” the bill states, adding, “No police officer or any other officer of law enforcement agency shall interfere with the administrating of compulsory treatment or seek or interrogate an injured person while he or she is receiving compulsory medical treatment in a hospital.”

Titled, ‘Sindh Injured Persons’ Compulsory Medical Treatment (Amal Umer) Bill’, the bill was prepared after the killing of 10-year-old Amal Umer, during a police shootout with robbers in Defence area in August last year, who later died due to the alleged negligence of the hospital she was taken to.