Disaster Management Act, 2005 - Mass Disasters

When a building collapses or a train derails, the first people on the scene are not lawyers but doctors, nurses, paramedics and volunteers. They triage, transport and treat with no time for forms. Later come the questions. Who was in charge? Could a private hospital be told to hand over beds and ambulances? Who answers if a rushed decision goes wrong? And who pays for the injured? The Disaster Management Act of 2005 is India's attempt to answer these questions before the disaster rather than after. This topic reads the Act from the point of view of mass casualties and the medical response.

In two minutes

The Disaster Management Act 2005 sets up national, State and district authorities with power to direct relief, requisition hospitals, vehicles and resources, and protect those acting in good faith, while making obstruction and false claims punishable.

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