Shanghai drafts a law protecting "Good Samaritans" from extortion. (Photo : www.wantchinatimes.com)
The Shanghai Municipal People's Congress has drafted the Good Samaritan Law, which aims to encourage its residents to help strangers, especially in terms of giving emergency health services.
According to thepaper.cn report, the bill will provide liability protection to volunteers who have medical training, allowing them to administer first aid in emergency cases they can encounter.
The bill describes "Good Samaritans" as people with medical skills and professional medical certificate.
Recently, a series of cases showed that "Good Samaritans" are often being extorted by those they have helped.
As the local government sees that their presence in the community is a great help, the passing of the bill is regarded by many as timely.
In an online poll conducted by the Shanghai Municipal People's Congress, around 92 percent of the residents expressed support to the bill.
For Tan Quiqui, a law professor at Minzu University, local government regulations can be a reliable means to protect Good Samaritans.
In Hangzhou and Shenzhen, similar laws have already been introduced.
Tan also noted that in the national context, China does not have a law to protect Good Samaritans.
The law professor enumerated that there two types of existing Good Samaritan laws across the globe.
For instance, in France, a law punishes those who fail to aid people in danger or those who do not report incidents to the authority. Meanwhile, in others like Iceland, a law gives protection to the rescuer from liability.
"The law can change society's attitude toward helping people in need, which will deter victims from making false accusations against those who offer help, and encourage more Good Samaritan behavior in Chinese society," Tan explained.
Nonetheless, Tan pointed out that laws alone will be insufficient, adding, "extortion cases have severely damaged trust between people, scaring would-be Good Samaritans. We need time to change social attitudes."
