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Shanghai police are hoping to cut the number of traffic deaths by half with a new scheme to speed up hospital treatment of people injured in accidents.
Police joined with an initial group of 58 local hospitals Saturday to launch the "green passage" whereby officers will carry the injured in their own vehicles or escort ambulances in an attempt to get them to hospital faster.
The hospitals are required to carry out medical treatment immediately after the injured arrive to avoid loss of life caused by delayed treatment, according to stipulations of the "green passage" agreement.
Police are required to ensure that medical expenses are paid to the hospitals promptly.
Police officer Wang Jimin said traffic fatalities in Shanghai were expected to reduce by half annually if the injured reached hospital 10 minutes sooner. About 1,500 people die in traffic accidents in the city each year.
(Xinhua News Agency August 12, 2002)
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