New Delhi: Taking a strong note over central government's claim in the Parliament that only 162 doctors died due to COVID-19 in India, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) on Wednesday demanded the government to set up a high power committee to make a thorough study on the entire data of deceased doctors.
In a communication to Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Ashwini Kumar Chaubey, IMA said that the high power committee should study the data of deceased doctors and all those who were succumbed shall be honoured.
The IMA, "We are shocked by your announcement in the Rajya Sabha that only 162 doctors died due to COVID-19 in India as ON January 22, which is contrary to the data released by the IMA."
The IMA said that 734 doctors have lost their lives due to COVID-19, out of these, 431 were the general practitioners.
It further said that doctors suffer a higher viral load and a higher CFR (Case Fatality Ratio) as a community.
"IMA is constrained to point out that they would have stayed back at home during this pandemic safely. They chose to serve the nation in the best traditions of the medical profession. The government of India has failed to acknowledge this fact and did not give due significance and recognition," the IMA said.
It is unfortunate that in a devastating pandemic the front line warriors of modern medicine had fought with altruism and in the bargain lost their lives, but the role of honour or the appropriate data on these fatalities were documented by the government of India, the IMA said.
"We strongly condemn the apathy of the central government in verifying the data given by the IMA and also delay in disbursing the solatium for the COVID martyrs families," the IMA said.
Replying to a question asked by CPI MP Binoy Viswam in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, Chaubey said that based on the intimations received from the states on healthcare staff, including doctors, nurse and Asha workers, the government has decentralised the process of insurance disbursement under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package (PMGKP: insurance scheme).
Chaubey said that 162 doctors, 107 nurses and 44 Asha workers died due to COVID-19 till January 22.
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