With Covid-19 having been declared a pandemic under the Disaster Management Act and the Supreme Court recently asking the Centre and the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to decide on ex gratia for the next of kin of victims, the medical fraternity has said that the government must not leave them in the lurch. As per a June 30 order of the Supreme Court, ‘Death due to Covid-19 or Covid-19 related complications’ has to be mentioned in victims’ death certificates so that they can claim compensation.

“As per the Supreme Court’s order, a Covid-19 positive person dying within a specified period will be classified as a Covid-19 death in certificates. Let’s not forget healthcare workers and doctors who died fighting Covid-19. As per the Indian Medical Association (IMA), at least 748 doctors died of Covid-19 in 2020 and over 776 doctors died in the first few months of 2021. Many more nurses, technicians, and support staff in hospitals and clinics have died, too,” said Dr Subhash Hira, professor of Global Health at the University of Washington-Seattle.