Draft Good Samaritan rules spelling out reimbursement pathway notified

Proposing a structured mechanism to reimburse hospitals that provide immediate care during the golden hour to persons unable to pay, the Karnataka government has published the draft Karnataka Good Samaritan and Medical Professional (Protection and Regulation During Emergency Situations) Rules, 2026.

The rules, notified on Friday, seek to operationalise provisions of the Karnataka Good Samaritan and Medical Professional (Protection and Regulation During Emergency Situations) Act, 2018, which makes it mandatory for all hospitals, public and private, to extend first aid and stabilisation in emergencies. The government has invited objections and suggestions within 15 days.

The Act protects individuals who voluntarily assist accident victims from civil/criminal liability and police harassment. It ensures anonymity for rescuers, prohibits mandatory witness, and mandates immediate free emergency care.

All emergencies

Harsh Gupta, Principal Secretary (Health and Family Welfare), told The Hindu that the draft rules addressed a long-felt need for clarity on payments while reinforcing protections for Good Samaritans.

Pointing out that the definition of emergency care was being interpreted broadly in practice, the Principal Secretary said, “It is not limited to road accidents. Heart attacks, strokes, severe injuries, burns, poisoning, obstetric emergencies or any other emergencies — the rules now mandate that patients must be stabilised without delay.”

Mr. Gupta said, “We want to ensure that no hospital hesitates to provide emergency care during the golden hour because of uncertainty over who will bear the cost. These rules lay down a clear, time-bound route for reimbursement. Ours is probably the first State to notify such rules.”

SAST reimbursement

Under the rules, if expenses cannot be recovered from the patient or family, the hospital — within one month from the date of treatment — can submit a claim to the Suvarna Arogya Suraksha Trust (SAST), the State’s health assurance agency.

Mr. Gupta said that empanelled hospitals would be paid according to package rates under Ayushman Bharat Arogya Karnataka (AB-ArK) scheme. For non-empanelled facilities SAST can sanction the expenditure at the rates admissible under the ABArK scheme or the latest HBP (Health Benefit Package) rates under PMJAY (Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana), whichever is higher.

“The idea is to keep the process uniform and transparent,” he said.

Appellate mechanism

The draft provides for an appellate mechanism as well. Any dispute regarding eligibility or payment may be taken up with the Health Commissioner, whose decision would be final.

The rules also envisage the creation of a Good Samaritan Fund. Apart from government allocations, it may receive donations and corporate social responsibility contributions, including support routed through the Karnataka Road Safety Authority.

The fund can be used to clear hospital claims and to compensate Good Samaritans who may incur travel expenses or wage loss while assisting victims or cooperating with legal processes.

“We also want to recognise citizens who step forward to help. Saving a life should never become a legal or financial burden,” Mr. Gupta said.