10-05-2021
Only 27% of Maharashtra health warriors got PM insurance money: RTI
Insurance AlertssOnly 27% of Maharashtra health warriors got PM insurance money: RTI
Mumbai: Under the Prime Minister’s scheme for compensation to the family of Covid warriors — including doctors, nurses, and health workers — only 210 applications have been sent to the central government from Maharashtra, of which insurance amount has been paid only in 58 cases — that’s 27 % of the total applications sent.
An RTI query by activist Jeetendra Ghadge has revealed that, district-wise, Pune sent the maximum (47) applications; BMC sent 38 even though Mumbai has seen the highest number of casualties of health staff. However, among final approvals, more Covid warriors’ families from Mumbai have got compensation than in any other district. Of 39 applications from Thane, only four have seen final compensation. The scheme has been applicable since April last year.
The Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package(PMGKP), an insurance scheme for healthcare workers fighting Covid-19, was initiated in March 30, 2020 to provide insurance cover of Rs 50 lakh to healthcare workers. It has been extended on April 20, 2021 for one year following the second wave.
According to Ghadge Maharashtra must have many more deaths of medical staff. “IMA has stated that among around 750 deaths of doctors in the country, Maharashtrawitnessed 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, he said.
As per figures compiled on April 28, 2021, received from the Maharashtra government, a total of 210 applications were made of which 27% have been benefited so far. Even though the highest applications were made from Pune, only three cases have been approved whereas 22 cases of BMC have seen disbursement of compensation of total 38 applications, the RTI data revealed. Of eight cases applied for from Kolhapur, six received compensation.
Ghadge said, “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.”
