New Delhi: As many as 196 doctors including general practitioners across the country have succumbed to Covid-19. Tamil Nadu bears the maximum casualty of doctors(43), followed by Maharashtra (23) and Gujarat (23).
Ironically, incidents of doctors and their affected families not getting beds for admission and lack of drugs have also been reported in many cases.
Shocked over the happenings, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene in the matter.
In a letter written to Prime Minister Modi, the IMA said that an increasing number of doctors are getting infected and losing lives due to COVID-19.
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“We need your attention and indulgence because of the rising concerns of safety of doctors during this COVID crisis. Substantial number of them are general practitioners. A significant proportion of the population consult them for fever and related symptoms. They remain the first point of contact and care. They also happen to spend quality time in consultation and practise clinical medicine. As of today, we have lost 196 of our doctors,” the IMA said in its letter written to PM Modi adding “It is pertinent to mention Covid does not differentiate between Government and private sector.”
IMA represents 3.5 lac doctors spread across the country providing next door affordable healthcare.
A data compiled by IMA said that 19 doctors have died in Bihar, 16 in West Bengal, 15 in Karnataka, 12 doctors died in Andhra Pradesh and Delhi, 11 died in Uttar Pradesh, 6 doctors died in Madhya Pradesh, 3 died in Haryana, 2 doctors each dies in Assam and Chandigarh, and Meghalaya, Odisha, Pondicherry and Jammu & Kashmir registered casualty of one doctor each.
Dr Ajay Joshi, a consultant doctor was the youngest amongst all who died due to Covid19. Joshi was 30 years old and hailed from Madhya Pradesh. A senior Professor of Surgery at the KIMS Medical College in Bangalore Dr L S Boregowda (88) was the seniormost surgeon who died after getting infected by Covid-19.
Medical officers, general surgeons, anaesthetists, dentists, paediatricians, ENT surgeons, ophthalmology, urologist, neurologists and others were victims of this infectious disease.
The IMA has appealed to ensure adequate care for doctors and their families who are a special risk group.
The IMA also appealed to extend state-sponsored medical and life insurance facilities to doctors in all sectors.
It may be mentioned here that the central government earlier has announced Rs 50 lakh medical insurance as compensation to the government doctors, frontline health workers, ASHA workers, sanitary workers in government hospitals, paramedics, nurses dealing with patients affected by the coronavirus.
Till date, the central government has received 131 life insurance claims of Rs 50 lakh. In 20 cases, money has already been distributed, whereas in 64 cases, the disbursement initiative is under process and 47 cases are pending with the state government, health ministry officials said.
“This is an injustice to the private medical practitioners. The government declared insurance of Rs 50 lakh for every healthcare worker. Later on, the policemen were included...but the private doctors’ plea for similar insurance was ignored. Even the doctors were ready to pay the premium amount for this insurance, at the same rate by which the government will pay the premium of these healthcare workers,” said IMA president Dr Rajan Sharma to ETV Bharat.
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The IMA has also demanded to honour the deceased doctors posthumously on Independence Day.
When contacted, Dr Giridhar Gyani, director general of the Association of Healthcare Providers-India quoting government order said that only those private doctors will come under the ambit of insurance scheme whoever has been assigned with the task of treating COVID-19 patients.
“…At best it says that those hospitals which have been assigned tasks for Covid-19 treatment will be covered under medical insurance. Only, Delhi and Odisha governments have covered all including the private sector,” said Dr Gyani.
