NHRC notice to Centre & Delhi Govt. over lack of insurance cover to contractual doctors, para-medics on Covid duty

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New Delhi : The National Human rights Commission ( NHRC), India, on the basis of a complaint, has asked the Union Health  Ministry and the Government of NCT, Delhi, to consider providing adequate medical care and financial protection to all the contractual medical and para-medical staff deployed by the Centre or State government to serve the patients. This may include getting medical insurance to facilitate their treatment at private hospitals in these testing times.

Issuing the notices to the Secretary, Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry and the Chief Secretary, Government of NCT of Delhi, the NHRC has asked them to submit an action taken report (ATR) in the matter within two weeks. They have also been asked to take immediate steps to provide adequate financial and other support to Covid-19 infected Dr Amit Gupta, Senior Resident Paediatrics of Satyavadi Raja Harishchandra Hospital, Delhi, admitted in ICU of the Medanta hospital, Gurugram, and  not getting any financial support from the government on the ground that he was engaged on contract basis, according to an NHRC release.

The Commission has observed that it is a serious issue, if the contractual doctors/ resident doctors and para-medical staff of the Delhi Government and other Central Government hospitals are not getting life care medical facilities after they fell ill during their service to save lives of the people during such pandemic situation.

The NHRC has further observed that it should not be forgotten that hospitals, beds, medicine and Oxygen etc. may be arranged but not the medical and para-medical staff to work on the ground level. On one hand, the welfare State of the country has provided a medical insurance of Rs Five lakh to each of the poor family under Ayushman Bharat Scheme and other such schemes; even casual labourers are covered under ESIC scheme, but on the other hand, our Corona warriors i.e. the contractual medical and para-medical staff are constrained to work without any medical insurance or care to fight the pandemic.

The complainant alleged that Dr Amit Gupta, got infected with Covid- 19. He was shifted to Maharaja Agrasen Hospital as he could not get a bed in his Hospital. However, there too, his condition deteriorated, and now he is undergoing  treatment at  Medanta Hospital, Gurugram, Haryana.

Tthe contractual doctors/ resident doctors and paramedical staff in  AIIMS are reportedly getting benefits of the EHS (Employees Health Services) but the contractual doctors/ resident doctors and paramedical staff of the Delhi Government and  other Central Government hospitals are not getting similar facilities. The Delhi Government is paying an ex-gratia of Rs 1,00,00,000 (One Crore) to the next of kin of the Corona warriors, but not taking care while they fall sick during the course of their public duty.