382 Doctors Died Of COVID-19: IMA Corrects Govt & Accuses It Of 'Abandoning' Heroes

The Indian Medical Association, the apex medical body, has hit back at the Centre for saying that 155 medical professionals, including 64 doctors, died of COVID-19.

The IMA has been infuriated after union health minister Dr Harshavadhan's statement on coronavirus in parliament, which had no word on the doctors who died in the line of duty, and Minister of State for Health Ashwini Choubey's statement that the Centre had no data as health is a state subject.

The medical body has accused the government of "indifference", "abdication" and "abandonment of heroes".

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It also added that in such situations, the government "loses the moral authority to administer the Epidemic Act 1897 and the Disaster Management Act".

IMA said that so far 382 doctors have died of coronavirus.

In the list it released, the youngest doctor to lose his life was 27 years old and the oldest was 85.

IMA represents 3.5 lakh doctors across the country. In a letter, IMA said, " This also exposes the hypocrisy of calling them corona warriors on one hand and denying them and their families the status and benefits of martyrdom."

It also published a list of doctors who died in the pandemic due to coronavirus and demanded the doctors be treated as martyrs.

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Publishing a list of 382 doctors who died in the COVID-19 pandemic, along with their addresses, it said, "We demand they be acknowledged and treated as martyrs."

Their families and children deserve solace and solatium from the government, the IMA stressed.

"The IMA also commends the government for seeking such data from the representatives of nurses and other healthcare workers," the statement said.

The doctors' body said it had shared with the health ministry hundreds of suggestions and feedback during this national health emergency.

"The prime minister deemed it fit to invite the national president of IMA to a meeting to share the concerns and seek suggestions and cooperation. The suo moto statement of the health minister preferred to ignore the national dimension of the war against COVID-19," it said in the statement.