A case has been filed in the Supreme Court regarding the inclusion of doctors and health workers who lost their lives to COVID during COVID times, even though they were not on government duty, in the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package (PMGKP). This case concerns insurance for those working in private clinics, dispensaries, and places not recognised as COVID hospitals. Though the court deferred judgment on Tuesday, it made significant observations. Recalling the immense contribution of doctors and health workers in combating the pandemic, the bench of Justice P.S. Narasimha and Justice R. Mahadevan said, "Society will not forgive us if we are not caring towards doctors."
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The government announced the package in March 2020 in the interest of the families of doctors and health workers who died in the pandemic. It provides insurance coverage of ₹50 lakh. That same year, when the wife of a doctor who died of COVID claimed money under the package, the insurance company rejected it. However, claims were denied in cases like that of a doctor from Thane, Maharashtra, whose clinic was not officially recognised as a COVID hospital. In this situation, the deceased's wife went to the Bombay High Court. But on March 9, 2021, the High Court stated that if any state or central government does not call doctors, health workers or other staff of private hospitals for duty during COVID times, they will not get the benefit of this scheme. Several people, including Pradeep Arora, approached the Supreme Court against this.
Justice Narasimha told Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati representing the Centre, "If any doctor or health worker dies of COVID while doing COVID duty, then compel the insurance company to pay money (to their family members). It is not right to assume that they were inactive because they were not on government duty, and that making a profit was their only objective."
Though not adjudicating any separate claim, the Supreme Court wanted to specify the conditions or context for receiving insurance money in general. In this case, the primary two conditions are whether the deceased person was actively involved in medical work during the pandemic and whether their death was due to COVID. However, these people must be selected based on credible and reliable evidence. The Centre has been asked to submit information in court about whether there is any other such insurance apart from that project. The court will announce the conditions comprehensively after considering everything. And based on the Supreme Court judgment, insurance companies will have to examine claims and issue orders.
