In Bihar, around 146 government-employed and private doctors have lost their lives during the peak of COVID-19 infection from March 2020 to May 2021.

On Friday, while expressing solidarity as well as support to the families of these doctors who have succumbed to the pandemic, the Indian Medical Association (IMA), Bihar chapter has demanded acceptable compensation to the dependents of these doctors.

The IMA wrotea letter to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and stated in detail the names of all the private and government-employed doctors who had died in the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic while treating COVID positive patients. In the on-going 2nd wave of the pandemic, 106 doctors from both the private and the government sectors have died so far.

The IMA also stated that most of the doctors who have succumbed to the infection were either engaged in treatment, screening, or were providing other medical care to other coronavirus patients. Therefore, the IMA has demanded that deaths of these doctors should be considered for compensation under the PM Garib Kalyan Yojna.

Also, they have requested the state government to make their own compensation scheme as Telangana, Tamil Nadu, and other states have provided to the dependents of doctors who have died after being contracted with the coronavirus. In many states, a government job is also provided to an eligible dependent of a deceased doctor by the government.

Source: The New Indian Express