There is no clarity to the Union Government about the death of number of health workers, including doctors who died during Covid-19 since 2019.
In the reply to a question under the Right to Information (RTI) Act filed with New India Assurance Company, the Union Ministry of Health and Welfare said that Rs. 487 crore had been distributed as Insurance compensation under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package (PMGKP) schemes to 974 health workers who died doing their duties while fighting the pandemic.
The question was raised by KV Babu, an ophthalmologist and RTI activist, answering to the question the company said Rs. 50 lakh is given to each health worker under the PMGKY scheme.
While replying to a special query, about the figures the company said that out of 974,206 were doctors and the compensation paid was Rs 103 crore. The other 768 health workers (nurses, community workers and other staff) were paid Rs. 384 crore.
In another answer to an RTI query, the Minister, told the company that 445 beneficiaries were compensated under the scheme, the amount disbursed was Rs. 222.5 crore.
These numbers vary from the numbers given by Union Ministers in Parliament.
Bharati Praveen Pawar, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare had told the Rajya Sabha on July 26 that the data on deaths due to Covid-19 by profession or otherwise is not maintained.
But, the statement by Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare does not tally with earlier statement given by Bharati Pawar, according to him Rs. 808 crore has given to 1,616 beneficiaries including doctors under PMGKY scheme.
Indian Medical Association collected the data which says 1,800 doctors were no more because of infection – 757 during the first wave and the rest in second.
Dr. KV. Babu said, it is a total mess, the authorities neither have clear details about the doctors who sacrificed their lives nor the total number of beneficiaries.
