COVID-19 duty insurance: Doctor's widow approaches Bombay HC

The Union government on Fridaytold the Bombay High Court only those private doctors whoseservices were requisitioned by government hospitals forCOVID-19 duty shall be covered under the Pradhan Mantri GaribKalyan Yojana insurance package of Rs 50 lakh.

Advocate Sandesh Patil, appearing for the Uniongovernment, told a division bench of Justices S J Kathawallaand R I Chagla that the scheme does not extend to all privatedoctors but only those who were requisitioned by governmentauthorities for COVID-19 duty.

The bench was hearing a petition filed by Navi Mumbairesident Kiran Surgade seeking the insurance cover of Rs 50lakh for her doctor husband, who died after being infectedwith coronavirus.

As per the plea, the petitioner's husband, BhaskarSurgade, an Ayurveda doctor, got a notice from Navi MumbaiMunicipal Corporation (NMMC) commissioner asking him to keephis dispensary open with the warning that action would betaken if he fails to comply with the notice.

The plea said Surgade kept his clinic open and treatedpatients, including those infected by COVID-19, and he toocontracted the infection and died on June 10, 2020.

The petitioner applied for the Rs 50 lakh compensationwith New India Assurance under the government scheme but thesame was rejected on the ground that her husband was notserving in any hospital or government healthcare centre and,therefore, was not eligible.

Patil on Friday told HC the government has sympathyfor such doctors but the benefit of the scheme was only fordoctors working in public hospitals, or private doctors whowere requisitioned by the authorities.

The court, however, noted that it was ''a matter ofinterpretation'' as to who all will benefit from the scheme.

The court directed the government to obtain data frominsurance companies as to how many claims were received fromrelatives of doctors who opened their private clinics to treatpatients and succumbed to COVID-19.

''How many private doctors suffered COVID-19? Onhumanitarian grounds, if private doctors suffered death afteropening their dispensary, can we do anything from them?'' thebench asked.

The court posted the matter for further hearing onJanuary 13 and directed the Union government to file anaffidavit.