PM RAHAT Scheme: Road Accident Victims Can Get Cashless Treatment Up To ₹1.5 Lakh

A road accident can leave an injured person in urgent need of medical attention at a time when arranging money for treatment may be difficult. Delays in receiving care can add to the risks already caused by serious injuries, making timely hospital treatment particularly important.The Central Government has introduced the PM RAHAT scheme to address this concern for eligible road accident victims. Under the scheme, a victim can receive cashless hospital treatment of up to ₹1.5 lakh for a period of up to seven days from the date of the accident, subject to the treatment packages and rules specified under the programme.The scheme was officially implemented as PM RAHAT in 2026, with the focus firmly placed on ensuring that financial constraints do not prevent an injured person from receiving essential initial treatment.What PM RAHAT Offers To Accident VictimsPM RAHAT is designed to provide immediate and essential hospital treatment to people injured in road accidents. One of its key features is that the patient does not have to make an upfront payment before treatment can begin.Eligible road accident victims can receive cashless treatment worth up to ₹1.5 lakh for up to seven days following the accident. However, the amount does not represent unrestricted medical cover. Treatment is provided according to the packages and conditions defined under the scheme.The facility is intended specifically for people injured in road accidents, including those involved in motorcycle accidents. An individual does not have to be enrolled in another government health scheme to access the benefit.Hospitals Must Start Treatment Without DelayDesignated hospitals under the PM RAHAT scheme are required to provide immediate medical attention when an injured person arrives. Necessary pre-authorisation procedures can be carried out alongside treatment, but care should not be held up simply because the authorisation process is still under way.The arrangement is particularly important during the first hours after an accident, when medical intervention may be critical. The scheme's cashless treatment for road accidents is intended to remove the immediate financial barrier to starting care.If police take the injured person to a hospital and an eDAR victim ID is generated, the victim can receive treatment of up to ₹1.5 lakh under the defined package at a designated hospital.What If Police Do Not Bring The Victim?An accident victim can still be taken to hospital without police assistance. In such cases, the hospital is required to forward the patient's details to the district police for confirmation that the person was injured in a road accident.This process is intended to allow treatment to begin while the accident-related verification is completed. Patients and their attendants may need to provide relevant accident and personal information and cooperate with the hospital's documentation procedures.Designated And Other Hospitals Have Different RolesStates are required to designate hospitals equipped to provide trauma and polytrauma care under the scheme. These hospitals can provide treatment covered by the specified packages.At non-designated hospitals, the scheme primarily provides for stabilisation treatment. This distinction is important because the full ₹1.5 lakh benefit is linked to treatment packages and designated facilities rather than being applicable to every treatment at every hospital.What To Do After A Road AccidentThe first priority following an accident should be getting the injured person to the nearest suitable hospital as quickly and safely as possible. Emergency services and police should be informed where necessary, while assistance should be provided at the accident site without putting others at risk.At the hospital, attendants should provide the requested accident and patient details and inform staff about the PM RAHAT facility. Treatment claims under the defined packages are settled through government mechanisms involving the Motor Vehicle Accident Fund and relevant government health institutions.The central objective of the government health scheme is straightforward: an injured road accident victim should not be forced to wait for essential treatment simply because money is not immediately available.Image Courtesy: Meta AI