NHRC notice to the Centre and Delhi Government over alleged non provision of any financial or insurance cover to the contractual doctors and para medical staff engaged in Covid duties

New Delhi: 19th May, 2021

The National Human rights Commission, NHRC, India, on the basis of a complaint, has asked the Union Ministry of Health and the Government of NCT, Delhi to consider providing adequate medical care and financial protection to all the contractual medical and paramedical staff deployed by the Centre or State governments to serve the patients. This may include getting medical insurance to facilitate their treatment in private hospitals in these testing times.

Issuing the notices to the Secretary, Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the Chief Secretary, Government of NCT of Delhi, the Commission has asked them to submit an action taken report in the matter within two weeks. They have also been asked to take immediate steps to provide adequate financial and other support to Covid-19 infected Dr Amit Gupta, Senior Resident Pediatrics of Satyavadi Raja Harishchandra Hospital, Delhi admitted in ICU of the Medanta hospital, Gurugram and not getting any financial support from the government on the ground that he was engaged on contract basis.

The Commission has observed that it is a serious issue, if the contractual doctors/ resident doctors and paramedical staff of the Delhi Government and other Central Government hospitals are not getting life care medical facilities when they fell ill during their service to save lives of the people during such pandemic situation. Presently, the country is already facing huge crisis of medical facilities and loosing lives too.

It has further observed that it should not be forgotten that hospitals, beds, medicines and Oxygen etc. may be arranged but not the medical and paramedical staff to work on the ground level. On one hand, the welfare State of the country has provided a medical insurance of Rs. Five lakh to each of the poor family under Ayushman Bharat Scheme and other such schemes; even casual labourers are covered under ESIC scheme, but on the other hand our Corona warriors i.e. the contractual medical and paramedical staff are constrained to work without any medical insurance or care to fight with the pandemic.

The complainant alleged that Dr Amit Gupta, got infected with Covid- 19. He was shifted to Maharaja Agrasen Hospital as he could not get a bed in his Hospital. However, there too, his condition deteriorated, and now he is undergoing treatment in Medanta Hospital, Gurugram.

Allegedly, the contractual doctors/ resident doctors and paramedical staff in the AIIMS are getting benefits of the EHS (Employees Health Services) but the contractual doctors/ resident doctors and paramedical staff of the Delhi Government and the other Central Government hospitals are not getting the similar facilities. The Delhi Government is paying an ex-gratia of Rs. 1,00,00,000/- (One Crore) to the next of kin of the Corona warriors, but not taking care while they fell sick during the course of their public duties.

******