73% families of doctors who died due to COVID yet to receive compensation from Centre: RTI Revelation

New Delhi: While responding to a Right to Information query, the New India Assurance Company has revealed that families of only 428 doctors out of 1988 healthcare workers who had died due to COVID-19, have been compensated under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package (PMGKP).

The data collected by Indian Medical Association (IMA) reveals that around 1596 doctors passed away in the first two waves of the pandemic and around 1800 doctors lost their life due to the COVID-19. While compensating the families of 428 COVID martyrs, the government has paid altogether 214 crores to their families.

Clearly, around 73 percent beneficiaries are yet to receive compensation for COVID deaths, revealed the RTI query filed by Kannur based Ophthalmologist and RTI activist Dr. KV Babu.

Filing the application under RTI Act 2005, Dr. Babu had sought the details of the total number of beneficiaries under PMGKP, which is an insurance scheme for Health Care workers who died of COVID-19, and also the total number of doctors who received compensation under the PMGKP scheme during 30.03.2020 to 30.09.2022. Besides, Dr. Babu had also sought the State wise data from Delhi and Kerala.

Responding to these queries, the New India Assurance Company has informed that there were altogether 1988 beneficiaries under PMGKP scheme and therefore the total claims were regarding Rs 994 crores.

Also Read: Madhya Pradesh: Compensation worth Rs 50 Lakh given to kin of 15 out of 61 doctors only

Referring to the second question i.e. the number of families that have received compensation under the government scheme, the Insurance company has clarified that 428 beneficiaries have been compensated and in this regard Rs 214 crores have been disbursed.

Although the company has denied to reveal the details of the beneficiaries, it has informed that 27 claims in Delhi and 29 claims in Kerala had been settled under the Government Health Scheme for doctors.

Meanwhile, the IMA data reveals that more than 1800 doctors succumbed to COVID-19 and altogether 1,596 doctors passed away in the first two waves of the pandemic.

Therefore, by decoding this data, it becomes clear that only 23.8 percent (428 out of 1800) COVID martyr doctors were beneficiaries of PMPKG scheme. Out of the 1988 beneficiaries of PMPKG, only 428 are doctors (22 percent). While almost 100% covid martyr docs of Kerala are compensated (29/29),just 27 out of 150 Delhi docs are compensated.

Referring to this data, Dr. Babu mentioned in a Tweet, "Grateful to our Prime Minister for the gratitude to HCWs. But, when the huge majority of the practising docs,who died of Covid, are not beneficiaries Pradhan Manthri Garib Kallyan Package (PMPKG),there is a need of urgent intervention from the Prime Minister."

Also Read: Only 20 percent insurance money under PMGKP scheme got disbursed to kin of doctors died serving during COVID-19, reveals RTI