IMA Claims 734 Doctors Dead From Covid-19, Families Need Help
A year after the Covid-19 pandemic broke the healthcare workers are burnt out and suffering from mental trauma. Doctors deaths are under-reported by the government of India. The Indian Medical Association has set up a Covid Martyrs Fund where the medical association is seeking funds for those 734 doctors whove sacrificed their lives in the service of the nation.
On March 22nd last year, PM Narendra Modi called for a Janta Curfew, requesting people to clap, beat steel plates and ring bells from their balconies to show the frontline workers battling Covid-19 some solidarity and appreciation.
Fast forward a year and the healthcare workers are completely burnt out, they¡¯re suffering from mental trauma, have little time to grieve the death of their loved ones, and are facing a potential economic crisis.
Mayank Mohanti for Indiatimes
India added a lot of intensive care beds after the Covid-19 pandemic broke, but it simply didn¡¯t have enough critical care workers to deal with the astronomical surge in Covid-19 infections.
So hospitals trained practically any available specialist to look after Covid-19 patients. But the health workers are still overwhelmed; more so, during the second wave when state governments are mandating tests and vaccination drives to seven-days-a-week to contain the tide.
BCCL
Doctors¡¯ deaths under-reported?
On February 2nd, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare told the Rajya Sabha that so far 162 doctors, 107 nurses, and 44 ASHA workers have died while on Covid-19 duty. However, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) said in a statement that it was ¡°shocked¡± by the government¡¯s figures and that a total of 734 doctors have died due to Covid-19 until February 3rd.
India¡¯s top medical body added that 431 out of these are general practitioners, who are the first point of contact for the people and as many as 25 doctors who died were below the age of 35.
BCCL
¡°It is unfortunate that in a devastating pandemic, the frontline warriors of modern medicine had fought with altruism and in the bargain lost their lives, but the roll of honour or the appropriate data on these fatalities were not documented by the government of India,¡± the IMA statement read.
¡ª Indian Medical Association (@IMAIndiaOrg) February 3, 2021
Doctor's compensation and donation
¡°We strongly condemn the apathy of the government in verifying the data given by the Indian Medical Association and also delay in disbursing the Solatium for the COVID Martyr¡¯s families.¡±
BCCL
The 'Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package Insurance Scheme for Health Workers is a ?50 lakh government insurance scheme for frontline healthcare workers engaged in Covid-19 duty.
The government said that the process of insurance disbursement has been decentralized under the PMGKP: Insurance Scheme, and that the necessary certification for claims is done by healthcare Institution/ organization/ office where the deceased was an employee.
ALSO READ: Why Social Distancing Matters For India's Nurses, Doctors And Poor People
But with the Centre not even recognizing the deaths of more than 400 healthcare workers, the IMA has set up a separate ¡®Covid Martyrs Fund¡¯, where the medical association is seeking funds for those ¡°734 doctors who¡¯ve sacrificed their lives in the service of the nation¡±.
Reuters
With the country recording more than 1,50,000 cases for the fourth consecutive day, India has approved Sputnik V as the third vaccine after Bharat Biotech¡¯s Covaxin and Serum Institute of India¡¯s Covishield to address mass shortages.
Best way to help doctors? Don't catch Covid-19
However, proven measures like wearing face masks, regularly washing hands, maintaining social distance as well as increased testing goes a long way in keeping the novel coronavirus in check.
ALSO READ: Biggest Enemy Of Coronavirus Is Soap, And Why You Must Keep Washing Your Hands
Maharashtra is under lockdown for two weeks, Delhi may soon follow, and reports of hospitals running out of beds is definitely cause for concern. In such a situation, science tells us the only way to break the chain of Covid-19 transmission is to stop yourself and your loved ones from getting infected in the first place. If more people don't get Covid-19, our doctors and medical workers will not get infected. We owe at least that much to our Covid-19 warriors, don't we?