Novel Coronavirus COVID-19 - Indian Government approves insurance scheme for medical and healthcare workers
Posted on : 08 Apr 2020 | Author : Harkesh Singh
The government of India approved an insurance scheme for health workers fighting the novel coronavirus on March 26th, 2020. Finance minister in the Modi cabinet, Ms. Nirmala Sitharaman, on March 26th, announced INR 50 lakh insurance cover per person for frontline medical and healthcare workers engaged in managing the Coronavirus outbreak. The announcement of the approval was a part of a number of measures announced by the finance minister under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan package.
“The medical insurance scheme would include sanitation staff, doctors, Asha workers, paramedics and nurses. These professionals are not considering their own health risks and have been attending to Coronavirus patients," Finance Minister announced at a press conference.
Indian government approved the insurance scheme for the health workers with following conditions:
1. The government will provide an insurance cover of INR 50 lakh for 90 days. The insurance cover will be extended to a total of approximately 22.12 lakh public medical and healthcare providers. This includes community health workers who may have to be in direct contact of COVID-19 patients and susceptible to the risk of being affected by this. The insurance for the health workers includes accidental loss of life on account of contracting novel coronavirus COVID-19.
2. On account of this grave and an unprecedented situation brought by coronavirus, private hospital staff/ retired/volunteer/ local urban bodies/contract/daily wage/ad-hoc/outsourced staff requisitioned by States/Central hospitals/autonomous hospitals of Central/States/UTs, AIIMS & INIs/ hospitals of Central Ministries can also be drafted for COVID-19 related responsibilities. These cases will also be covered by the insurance scheme subject to numbers indicated by Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.
3. The insurance provided under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan package scheme would be over and above any other insurance cover being availed of by the medical and healthcare workers.
Keywords : novel coronavirus,coronavirus,covid 19