I am currently in the US, where I also had the opportunity to visit several hospitals, emergency units and rescue organisations. I have traveled to many countries before, but this time I am keen to observe how the Good Samaritan Law works here in practice. This interest was born out of a painful personal experience when, last year, I faced a horrific traffic accident in Karachi.
What hurt me more than the accident itself was the indifference of those around me. Instead of helping, people stood by filming the scene and taking selfies. Private hospitals, rather than offering relief, exploited our grief to gain financial gain. That day, I also made a promise to myself: if God Almighty had saved my life, I would dedicate it to the betterment of my society. If no one helped me that day, then I would try my best the next day, so that another victim would not remain abandoned on the road.
The idea of helping others is deeply rooted in ancient civilisations. In the Code of Hammurabi, one of the world’s earliest written laws, failure to aid someone in distress was declared a moral crime. In ancient Egypt, ignoring the wounded or sick was seen as a spiritual sin.
In Hinduism, the highest virtue is to help those in suffering. In Islamic teachings, saving one life is equal to saving all of humanity. And the story of the Good Samaritan, which originated in the ancient Middle East, symbolises unconditional compassion – a God-fearing man from the historical city of Samaria who stopped to help a stranger in distress selflessly, expecting no reward from him.
However, in Pakistan, thousands die each year in road accidents, many of whom could have survived with timely medical treatment. In my view, the root cause of this social apathy is fear and distrust. People hesitate to take the injured to hospitals to avoid police hassles. Private hospitals refer accident cases to government facilities, while government hospitals delay treatment under the pretext of a police case. Precious lives are therefore lost somewhere between bureaucratic confusion and human negligence.
Here in the US, I have witnessed a very different reality. If someone sees an injured person, they should immediately dial 911 and step forward to offer assistance. Under the Good Samaritan Laws, they know they will not be harassed or questioned later. Such a humane law builds a culture of trust, compassion and civic responsibility. Similarly, in many Western countries, failing to assist an injured person is itself a punishable offence. That is why the survival rate after accidents in these countries is far higher than in Pakistan.
Our neighbouring India has also implemented the Good Samaritan Law, under which no hospital can refuse treatment to accident victims. The UAE is the first country in the Middle East to adopt this law, encouraging citizens to help others proactively, while punishing those who make or share accident videos with imprisonment and heavy fines.
Unfortunately, in Pakistan, people gather in numbers, but few have the courage to help the accident victims practically. To this end, I have drafted the Pakistan Good Samaritan Bill, which I intend to present for parliamentary approval. The proposed law ensures that anyone who helps the injured will receive full legal protection, while all public and private hospitals will be obligated to provide immediate and free emergency care. The bill draft also proposes filming the tragic scene and sharing it on social media as a punishable cybercrime.
My dream is for Pakistan to join the ranks of nations where no injured person lies helpless on the road, no hospital closes its doors, and no citizen hesitates to help out of fear of the police. I believe that the Good Samaritan Law, if passed, can mark the beginning of a new social era in our beloved country, one that transforms fear into trust and reluctance into kindness.
The writer is a member of the National Assembly and patron-in-chief of the Pakistan Hindu Council. He tweets/posts @RVankwani
