LEGAL AWARENESS / KNOW YOUR RIGHTS

Know Your Rights

Treatment comes first. Know what the law says immediately after an accident.

WHY THIS MATTERS

Care is a right.

Muqadass Zindagi Trust exists to ensure that no road accident victim, who remains among the most vulnerable road users, is denied quality medical treatment because of an inability to pay. By facilitating continued medical treatment for survivors, the Trust works in the spirit of Articles 9 and 14 of the Constitution of Pakistan, which guarantee every citizen's right to life and the inviolable dignity of the individual. Our work is also aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-Being), which calls for halving road traffic deaths and injuries and achieving universal access to essential healthcare, and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities), which envisions a world where access to life-saving care is not determined by a person's economic status. Pakistan itself became the first country in the world to adopt the SDGs as its own national development agenda, through a unanimous National Assembly resolution passed on 19 February 2016. Through this work, the Trust seeks to bridge the gap between constitutional promise and lived reality for accident survivors across Pakistan.

THE LAW THAT PROTECTS YOU

The Law That Protects You Immediately After an Accident

THE GOVERNING ACT

Sindh Injured Persons Compulsory Medical Treatment (Amal Umer) Act, 2019

Read the official Act

SECTION 03

Section 3, Injured Persons Must Be Treated on Priority, Without Delay or Upfront Payment

Treatment first, always. Hospitals must give injured persons compulsory medical treatment (legally required emergency care) immediately and on priority, no delays.
No paperwork before treatment. Hospitals cannot demand medico-legal formalities (police reports, injury certificates, etc.) be completed before treating you.
No advance payment. Hospitals cannot ask for payment before starting treatment.
It's a legal duty, not a choice. Hospitals are legally bound to provide this treatment.
Can't afford it? Still covered. If you can't pay, the hospital bears the cost. For private hospitals, the government reimburses the cost of stabilizing you.
After stabilization: You're shifted to a Government hospital, unless you choose to stay at the private hospital and pay its charges yourself from that point.

SECTION 04

Section 4, Consent of Relatives Not Required in Certain Cases

Treatment can't be held up waiting for consent. If a doctor is treating an injured person who needs compulsory medical treatment and getting consent from a relative or anyone else would take time, the doctor doesn't have to wait for it.
This applies only when delay would cause harm. The doctor can skip waiting for consent specifically when there's a real risk that the delay in obtaining it could worsen the injured person's condition.
The decision rests with the treating doctor. It's the doctor attending to the patient who judges whether the situation calls for immediate action instead of waiting for consent.

SECTION 06

Section 6, No Interference by Police During Treatment

Police can't interrupt treatment. No police officer or any officer of a law enforcement agency is allowed to interrupt or interfere while an injured person is receiving compulsory medical treatment.
No interrogation during treatment. Police also cannot question or interrogate the injured person while they're being treated in the hospital.
Interrogation can only happen once it's safe. Questioning may only take place after the treating doctor determines the injured person's condition is out of danger, or with the hospital's permission.

SECTION 07

Section 7, Shifting of an Injured Person to Another Hospital

Transfer only when necessary. A hospital can only shift an injured person elsewhere if it genuinely lacks the facilities needed for their compulsory medical treatment, and it must record its reasons for this in writing.
The hospital arranges and pays for the transfer. If a transfer is needed, the hospital must arrange an ambulance to the nearest hospital it believes has the right facilities, at its own cost, not the patient's.
Medical records travel with the patient. If the hospital has the injured person's medical history on record, a full copy must go along with them to the new hospital.
Records must be safely kept at both ends. Once the receiving hospital gets this record, it must keep it safe, and the original hospital also keeps a copy. The person in charge at both hospitals is responsible for making sure the record can't be tampered with.
No unsupervised transfers in critical cases. If the injured person needs immediate medical attention and can't safely be moved alone, they must be accompanied by a doctor or nursing staff during the transfer.

SECTION 08

Section 8, The Injured Person Not to Be Taken to a Police Station

Treatment always comes first. An injured person cannot be taken to a police station under any circumstances before they've fully received their required compulsory medical treatment.
No legal procedures before treatment is complete. Similarly, no medico-legal procedure (formal legal/administrative steps tied to the case, like statements or documentation) can begin until the person's treatment is fully provided.

SECTION 09

Section 9, Hospital Staff & the Person Bringing the Injured Person to Hospital Not to Be Harassed

Good Samaritans are protected. Anyone who brings an injured person to a hospital cannot be harassed by anyone, including police officers or law enforcement officers.
Hospital staff are protected too. The hospital staff who treat the injured person are likewise protected from harassment.
The hospital records the helper's details. The hospital must note down the name, address, and phone number of the person who brought the injured person in.
ID verification, with some flexibility on timing. The hospital must also obtain a copy of the helper's CNIC (Computerized National Identity Card), within three days if it's not available right away, or any other proof of identity the hospital finds acceptable.

OFFICIAL REFERENCESindh Act No. VIII of 2019