Only 58 families out of 210 COVID warrior applicants granted PMGKP Insurance Money, reveals RTI

The Right to Information (RTI) application was filed in November by activist Jeetendra Ghadge, who sought to know the district-wise details of the PMGKP applications received and forwarded by Maharashtra government.

Although the numbers of applications (47) were the highest from Pune, only 3 applications got approved from the district. On the other hand, 22 out of total 38 applications made from Mumbai got approved for the insurance money. Only 4 applications were approved from a total number of 39 from Thane, reveals the RTI containing figures compiled toll April 28, 2021.

Also Read: PMGKP Insurance scheme for COVID Healthcare Workers extended by 1 year

Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package(PMGKP) was announced on March 2020 and was extended thrice till 24 April '21. The scheme aimed at providing a safety net to health workers to ensure that in case of any adversity due to #COVID19, their families are taken care of. Insurance cover of Rs. 50 Lakhs is provided under the PMKGP scheme.

Considering the current circumstances and the surge of fresh cases of Covid-19 in the country, the Government of India, in a letter dated 20.04.2021, decided to extend the benefits of the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package (PMGKP) for a period of one year.

Also Read: Govt extends Insurance Scheme for Health Workers Fighting COVID-19 for another 6 months

As per the latest media report by India Today, Ghadge had sought to know the figures from both Central Government, Insurance Company and also the Maharashtra Government. While the first two didn't reply to his queries, the data revealed by the State Government showed that only 27% of the total applications were approved for the Insurance cover. If the data gets analyzed on the basis of the profession, it reveals that only 10 out of 19 doctors received the insurance money.

Among these, BMC has seen the highest numbers of disbursements regarding the compensation package. The ratio in Kohlapur is also good, as 6 out of 8 applications got approved from the district, reports the Times of India.

Speaking to TOI Ghadge, of Young Whistleblowers NGO, said, "IMA has stated that among around 750 deaths of doctors in the country, Maharashtra witnessed the third highest (74) deaths after Tamil Nadu (89) and West Bengal (80). However, since there are several insurance conditions to be satisfied, only a few cases have moved forward," adding that there must be many more deaths of medical professionals in the State.

"The health care staff is taking serious risk while taking care of us, but unfortunately the delay in the process for getting these claims approved is letting us down. We are not honouring their sacrifice the way we should have. Besides, only the central government scheme covers health workers while the state government covers other Covid warriors. It's important to boost the morale of our healthcare workers by giving them financial security, I hope the government takes notice of these figures," he added.