Fines for Ambulance Delays on Highways: NHAI Sets Cost for Every Minute of Delay

NHAI Rules: The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has issued a stern warning to infrastructure contractors. Heavy fines will now be imposed for ambulance delays following accidents. Here are the details regarding the fines applicable in various situations.

NHAI Rules for Ambulances: Contractors will now face stiff penalties for ambulance delays following accidents on national highways. The NHAI has issued new regulations governing ambulance services, establishing specific timeframes for everything from reaching the accident site to transporting the injured to the hospital. Violations will attract immediate fines.

According to the NHAI circular, an emergency call (or ‘ticket’) must be accepted within one minute. A fine of ₹5,000 will be imposed for every additional minute of delay beyond this limit.

What are the fines for specific situations?

Once the call is received, the ambulance must depart within two minutes; a fine of ₹5,000 applies for every additional minute of delay.
If the accident occurs within 10 kilometers of the ambulance base, the vehicle must reach the site within 10 minutes. A fine of ₹10,000 per incident will be imposed for delays.
If the distance exceeds 10 kilometers, the allotted time will increase based on the distance.
The most critical rule concerns transporting the injured to the hospital; the patient must be taken to the nearest hospital within one hour of the accident. A fine of ₹10,000 applies for delays in this regard as well.

Strict Rules Regarding GPS and Apps

The NHAI has also enforced strict regulations regarding GPS and app usage. A daily fine of ₹2,500 will be imposed if the GPS is switched off, the ambulance does not appear online on the app, or its details are missing from the dashboard. Inspections revealing deficiencies related to medicines, medical equipment, drivers, or EMTs will result in a fine of ₹10,000 per inspection.

Mandatory Daily Dry Run

Every ambulance must conduct a dry run or mock drill at least once every 24 hours and cover a distance of at least 5 kilometers. However, this requirement will not apply if the ambulance has already responded to an accident on that day and covered a total distance exceeding 5 kilometers.

Another significant change is that if an ambulance from an adjacent highway section is unavailable, another ambulance will be required to travel outside its designated zone to reach the accident site; jurisdictional boundaries will not be accepted as an excuse.

How ​​Will Penalties Be Levied?

The NHAI’s CARE system will calculate the penalties. The penalty amount will be deducted from the monthly payments made to the ambulance service, the quarterly maintenance payments for EPC projects, or the half-yearly payments for HAM projects. However, the total penalty in a single month will not exceed ₹2.5 lakh.

The NHAI has acknowledged issues regarding negligence in the use of GPS and the CARE app, as well as instances where ambulances fail to appear online. Such lapses delay the arrival of assistance following accidents and can endanger the lives of the injured.

The circular notes that the issue of ambulance delays following road accidents has previously been raised by the Supreme Court’s Committee on Road Safety and in the CAG’s performance audit. Consequently, the NHAI has decided to strictly enforce both the time limits and the penalty provisions.