Justice for Covid Heroes: Supreme Court Pushes for Inclusive Insurance for All Health Workers

The Supreme Court has reserved its judgement on a plea against the exclusion of private health workers from insurance benefits if they lost their lives to Covid-19. The Court emphasized the need for insurance companies to honor valid claims and directed the government to provide additional data on parallel schemes.

The Supreme Court of India has issued a stern reminder to the government and insurance companies regarding the protection of healthcare workers who perished on the Covid-19 frontline.

With a bench led by Justices P S Narasimha and R Mahadevan presiding, the Court focused on ensuring that all deserving claims by doctors and health workers, especially those from private clinics, are duly settled.

The directive comes after a plea highlighted gaps in the Pradhan Mantri Insurance Scheme, with the Court requesting comprehensive data on alternative schemes as well.

(With inputs from agencies.)