GUANGZHOU - Experts are calling for the Guangdong province government to take steps to restore the public's faith in morality after a 2-year-old girl was run over by two vehicles in the city of Foshan this past week and then received no immediate help from passers-by.

Tan Ankui, an associate professor with the Guangzhou-based Sun Yat-sen University, said local residents should be encouraged to help each other in emergencies and should be praised when they do.

"We should not ask local residents to first collect evidence to protect themselves before they give a helping hand to people in need," Tan said on Monday.

Last month, the Ministry of Health issued suggestions on the best ways the public can offer help to senior citizens who have fallen down, been knocked down by vehicles or had some other sort of accident.

The guidelines said good Samaritans should try to determine the cause of the accident they are responding to and plan a way to respond rather than rushing in to help.

"It is unreasonable to ask a person to think about how to protect himself or herself before he or she gives a helping hand to the others," Tan said.

"It should only take a few seconds for him or her to decide to rescue victims who urgently need help in some accidents."

Meanwhile, those who are found to have made false accusations an innocent person should be severely punished in accordance with the law, he added.

Zhan Meibai, an associate professor from the Guangzhou-based Jinan University, said those who act bravely for a just cause usually receive praise and encouragement from the public and society.

"Controversy exists only in a small number of cases," Zhan told China Daily.

Zhan said residents who find people lying injured on the ground should call the police for help.

"Or if they want to rescue someone, they can also find witnesses and ask them to leave their phone numbers," he said.

The witnesses' testimony may later prove useful in court, Zhan said.

Tan Xuezhen contributed to this story.