Reconsidering Covid death ex gratia policy for doctors, Delhi govt informs HC

On January 25, the high court had asked the government to consider giving compensation to all doctors, including those who died in the line of duty in private hospitals

The Delhi government on Friday informed the high court that it is “reconsidering” its Covid-19 death compensation policy, wherein it had planned to compensate kin of only those doctors who had died while working in government hospitals and those from the smaller 100-150 bed private hospitals, which were requisitioned by the government to treat Covid-19 patients during the second wave of the pandemic.

The order had come while hearing a plea by a doctor’s widow, whose house was about to be confiscated by the bank over her inability to repay the home loan. (Representative image/Getty)

The government in its policy had left out the other private doctors.

On January 25, the high court had asked the government to consider giving compensation to all doctors, including those who died in the line of duty in private hospitals.

The order had come while hearing a plea by a doctor’s widow, whose house was about to be confiscated by the bank over her inability to repay the home loan.

Doctor Harish Kumar died in June 2020, during the first wave of the pandemic, while on Covid duty at the New Life Hospital in GTB Nagar, the plea filed by his wife said.

On Friday, a bench of justices Vipin Sanghi and Dinesh Kumar Sharma was informed by the Delhi government counsel that the court’s view has been communicated to the “highest level” and the government is reconsidering its death compensation policy. She sought some more time to file an affidavit on any policy decision that will taken by the cabinet.

She told the court that owing to the assembly elections in five states and the upcoming civic polls, a decision in the matter has been delayed.

Remarking that “elections will keep happening in one or the other states”, the court granted four weeks to the government to respond and posted the matter for hearing to April 20.

“Let the latest policy decision be placed on record so that the suffering of the petitioner is alleviated at the earliest,” the court said.

On January 25, the court took note that prima facie, the distinction of the Delhi government in awarding the ex gratia is “not justified” because doctors and other paramedic staff of even private hospitals, which were requisitioned by the Delhi government, are covered by the cabinet decision.

In May last year, the Indian Medical Association had said nearly a 100 doctors from Delhi had died during the second wave of a total 400 doctors.