India is generally a safe country to travel to, but that doesn't mean one shouldn't be ready for any unseen mishap. There can be an accident or an emergency situation unexpectedly, and one should be well aware of what to do when that happens. There can be different types of emergencies including natural disasters, road accidents, theft, crime or another human conflict.
Procedures after a casualty in India
Depending on the type of emergency, one can take several steps to ensure quick help. Firstly, one must stay calm and not take any steps in panic. Keeping your cool will help mitigate fear and prevent hurried decisions.
It is advised that you keep all the emergency helpline numbers handy in order to seek help immediately after the casualty. If it's a criminal emergency, make sure you call the police as quickly as possible. If an accident takes place on a highway, there are always mobile ambulances nearby. Seeking the help of an ambulance is highly advised if there is no private vehicle nearby to drive the victim immediately to the nearest hospital. If there is a severe medical injury, you must take the victim directly to the emergency ward of the hospital.
Emergency helpline in India
If an indecency, theft or crime has taken place, then you can immediately call the police by dialling 100 which is the police helpline across India. If there is a fire emergency, you can dial 101. To call an ambulance, you can dial 102. If you're a woman and face any kind of abuse or misconduct, you can call the women helpline at 1091. There are other important helpline numbers as well which can be found on the Indian helpline webpage.
Health Insurance in India
It is important that you have a health insurance plan in place to mitigate emergency accident losses. India has a universal healthcare system, so public healthcare is free for all. But private hospitals charge much more for their services. It is therefore advised to purchase a private insurance plan as a safety net. Make sure you do enough research and really understand the plan policies before finalizing the purchase. A plan that recognizes a large network of hospitals is recommended. Yearly contributions to health insurance might start at around INR10,000.
Care after emergency in India
After the emergency has been resolved, make sure you follow doctor's advice on rest and precautions. Severe accidents often result in post-traumatic stress, so it is important that you take care of yourself and be in good company even after getting healed. If the accident involved another party in the offence, a complaint must be filed in the local police station against the same. If you have health insurance coverage, now is the time to contact the insurance company to claim the accident costs. So make sure you have saved all the necessary paperwork from the hospital.
We do our best to provide accurate and up to date information. However, if you have noticed any inaccuracies in this article, please let us know in the comments section below.
