The Indian Medical Association (IMA) wants insurance for the private doctors and nurses as they are treating the increasing number of coronavirus patients.

The Ghaziabad health department had requested the IMA in the last month to organize for 12 doctors and nurses for two COVID centres that are being set up over there.The department also required ventilators and other equipment.

COVID-19 cases are expected to increase rapidly as the district has scaled up their testing to 2,000 samples daily. Though the administration is trying to improve its health infrastructure, the lack of trained doctors and staff is of concern. The IMA’s initiative to provide insurance to doctors undertakes more significance in this situation.

IMA president Dr VB Jindal said that the association had decided to pay salaries to the private doctors on COVID-19 duty from its own corpus. They are trying to get more manpower for serving the health department but it’s a tough task. Advertisements have been circulated among groups. To make sure that people should show some interest, they have decided to offer them an ‘appreciation amount’ for the contribution in the fight against coronavirus infection. For doctors, it is Rs 50,000 a month and for a nurse it will be given Rs 30,000. Up to now, three-four doctors are selected. They will hand over the list of selected doctors to the health department in a few days.

The association said that the government is not ready to deliver facilities to private doctors those who are extended to government health staff. Jindal said that national and state bodies are raising the issue stating that the insurance of Rs 50 lakh is only for government doctors. It should be extended to private doctors and those medical staffs who are working in COVID hospitals on a voluntary basis.

Source: The Times of India