Heroes who are hurt while trying to save others from injury are to receive free treatment at a hospital in Chengdu.

The fund at Chengdu No 1 Orthopaedics Hospital will also help to subsidize any further care they need in the future.

It is part of an agreement signed with the Preparatory Committee of the Chengdu Fund for People Helping Others in Need.

It is thought to be the first scheme of its kind in the country.

According to the agreement, when people are injured while helping others they will initially pay for the cost of treatment at the state-owned hospital in Chengdu's Qingyang District.

But the hospital will then report the matter to the preparatory committee. After the committee verifies the case and informs the hospital, the hospital will refund all the money.

It will remit the patient the registration fee and half of their medical costs, and the committee will cover the rest of the costs.

The agreement will benefit every one injured while helping others in need. He or she can benefit from the agreement as long as they are treated in the hospital, even if they are injured outside Chengdu, said the committee.

The government-sponsored committee has a fund of 4.1 million yuan (US$507,426).

According to the agreement, all citizens who have been awarded the title of "Citizens who Helped People In Need" will receive preferential treatment for the rest of their lives.

People who were awarded the honor by district governments will pay only 40 percent of fees at the hospital, while those given the title by county or municipal governments will pay just 20 percent.

While visiting the hospital last Saturday, Yu Shaolin, deputy secretary-general of the All-China Fund for People Helping Others in Need, said: "This hospital merits study by other hospitals as it has broken the bottleneck in the treatment of people injured while helping others."

As the Chengdu No 1 Orthopaedics Hospital is a specialized hospital, the preparatory committee will work with Chengdu Health Bureau to select more hospitals that will offer the special treatment.

In some parts of the country, people who are injured while helping others are often not properly treated, which has hindered public enthusiasm for never hesitating to do what is right, said State Councillor Zhou Yongkang at a national meeting held last November to commend people who disregarded their own safety to help others in need.

Zhou, who is also minister of Public Security, added that related departments should cooperate to solve difficulties of people injured or killed while helping others.

Late last month, Guiyang, capital of southwest China's Guizhou Province, enacted a law to protect people who help others in need.

They are eligible to receive a maximum award of 20,000 yuan (US$2,500). Under the legislation, no hospital is permitted to delay their treatment if they are injured.

When they receive first aid or are hospitalized, their registration, blood transfusion, check-up and operation fees should be remitted.

People or workplaces that have benefited from their heroic deeds should cover any remaining expenditure, according to the law.

(China Daily January 24, 2006)