Financial assistance under Social Security also: Govt
Irfan Tramboo
SRINAGAR, July 29: The Government is preparing the documents of the deceased NHM doctor who died of COVID-19 on Tuesday for the claim of the insurance amount under PM Garib Kalyan Insurance for COVID warriors.
The Health & Medical Education Department (H&ME) is already in the process of completing the formalities in order to make the claim of Rs 50 lakh to be handed over to the legal heir of the doctor who died in the line of duty.
Financial Commissioner, H&ME Atal Dulloo told Excelsior that the department will be preparing the required documents and the family of doctor who lost his life will be provided with the insured the sum of Rs 50 lakh.
“We need the legal heir certificate and a death certificate, we earlier as well had a health educator who died during the pandemic, that’s almost done and the file will be sent to Delhi for further process and with regard to the NHM doctor who died due to COVID-19—all the formalities will be carried out and he will be provided with the sum,” he said.
He added that apart from the ex-gratia insurance amount, he will also be provided with additional financial assistance under the Social Security provision of NHM.
“Under this provision, we will be able to provide his family with some more financial assistance. We will be providing his family with this benefit as well,” he said.
It is pertinent to mention here, that on July 28, the National Health Mission (NHM) fraternity lost one of their frontline COVID warriors, Dr Shabir Ahmad Malik, of Sumbal Bandipora, posted in Gurez.
Meanwhile, National Health Mission Employees’ Association today said that the National Health Mission employees have been crying at the peak of their voices for last more than one decade demanding social security to the employees and their families.
It said that a written agreement was signed by the then Minister for Health Bali Bhagat in January 2018 pledging to provide ex-gratia assistance and job to next of kin of deceased NHM/RNTCP/NACO employees
The Association said that apart from Dr Malik, 35 of our colleagues have lost their lives in harness in last few years, most of them due to occupational hazards.
“We tried every door and every forum for getting our grievances resolved which only needed a stroke of the pen to get resolved,” the Association said.
In this context, the National Health Mission (NHM) Employees’ Association has demanded that the government should to handover an ex-gratia relief of Rs 50 lakh to the family of the deceased doctor “over and above the ex-gratia insurance for which the family in eligible under PM Garib Kalyan Insurance for COVID warriors.”
They also demanded that an ex-gratia policy should be announced by August 2 which should also benefit the NHM employees who have so far died in harness.
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