First aid on my plate: Rajasthan to equip highway dhabas to provide treatment to accident victims

Jaipur: The Rajasthan government will train roadside dhaba staff and ensure first aid medicines are available at national and state highways to help those injured in accidents receive timely treatment.[caption id="attachment_2689646" align="alignleft" width="380"] Representational image. Reuters[/caption]Rajasthan medical and health minister Rajendra Rathore said that they are identifying spots on highways where most mishaps occur and roadside dhaba staff will be given training for first aid so that they can help in saving lives. Initially, one national and one state highway will be selected or this cause.Replying to a debate on demands for grants for medical and health department in the state assembly, Rathore also raised concerns over growing vegetables in dirty and polluted water and on misleading advertisements for Ayurvedic medicines for raising the height and treatment of other medical conditions.He informed the House that a special campaign will be run against the farming of vegetables using polluted water for two months.To check misleading advertisements, he also said Ayurveda officers will be authorised to take action under the seldom used Drug and Magic Remedy Act, 1954. The minister also expressed concerns overincreasing number of patients with lifestyle diseases and increasing pollution, and also laid stress on collectively meeting this challenge.Rejecting allegations from opposition members that the BJP government has weakened the free medicines scheme initiated bythe former Congress government, the minister said the presentgovernment has increased the budget for the scheme and has also brought qualitative changes in public interest.Rathore informed the House that the BJP government has increased the budget outlay for medical and health services and most of the budget was utilised. He said the government will also undertake a special campaign to identify persons with mental disabilities who are chained in houses and added that arrangement for their freetreatment will be made by the government.He said child sex ratio has increased from 888 to 929. He also made announcements about recruitment of doctors, setting up of state excellence centres for mental health, for which the Centre has given its nod in principle, strengthening of laboratories in 17 districts, medical check-up of students at madarasas, dial-in ambulance services, commencement of admission in seven new medical colleges from 2017-18 among others.Following the reply, the demands for grants were passed bythe House.PTI