The Indian Medical Association’s (IMA),Surat chapter has asked that the doctors and healthcare employees of the private hospitals and clinics who have died due to COVID-19 ought to be compensated under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package, as their government counter parts.

Healthcare staff on COVID-19 duty are entitled for Rs 50 lakh compensation undercentral government insurance scheme, if they die due to the coronavirus or in an accident while on COVID-19 duty.

As perthe IMA office-bearers, only doctors and healthcare workers in the government hospitals and COVID-19 designated hospitals were eligible for compensation in the arrangement of insurance pay-out by the government.

Dr Parul Vadgama, President of IMA-Surat, told TOI that more than 2,500 members of the doctors’ community affiliated with IMA are working constantly since March. Above 150 private practitioners are so far infected with COVID-19 in the city and two have succumbed to the coronavirus infection. All the private doctors are on the frontline of the COVID-19 duty from day one. Yet, the government recommends mentions that only those healthcare workers with the government hospitals and COVID-19 designated hospitals are eligible for the compensation if they die due to COVID-19. The IMA’s Surat chapter has demanded the Gujarat government to provide compensation to the private doctors too.

Dr Hiral Shah, who is the Vice-president of Surat Anaesthetists Association told TOI that all the doctors and healthcare staff should be treated at par by the government and should get the advantage of the insurance pay out scheme.

Dr Chandresh Jardosh, who is the president of IMA-Gujarat also told TOI that more than 25 doctors have died due to COVID-19 in the state and over 350 healthcare personnel and doctors are infected since March. They have demanded that all the doctors and healthcare workers, who have succumbed to coronavirus, should be given compensation under the Pradhanmantri Garib Kalyan scheme.

President of Surat Municipal Employees Staff union, Iqbal Shaikh, told TOI that approximately 16 SMC employees have died due to COVID-19 since May. They have already submitted files of six employees to the state government for the compensation of Rs 50 lakh each for their family members. Other files are still under process.

Source: The Times of India