19th paragraph in the statement of Honourable Union Health Minister Shri Harsh Vardhan’s statement in Parliament acknowledges the contribution of Health care workers during this pandemic. It faithfully conceals the morbidity and mortality of doctors, nurses and health care workers. This indifference to the sacrifice of doctors and health care workers is the reality of Covid 19. It appears that they are dispensable. No nation has lost as many doctors and health care workers like India. Doctors suffer 4 times mortality of ordinary citizens and Private Practitioners suffer 8 times mortality on the same scale. To feign that this information doesn’t merit the attention of the nation is abominable. If the Government doesn’t maintain the statistics of total number of doctors and health care workers infected by Covid 19 and the statistics of how many of them sacrificed their life due to the pandemic, it loses the moral authority to administer the Epidemic Act 1897 and the Disaster Management Act. 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. While the brave soldiers on the borders countenance the enemy they do so with enormous risk to their personal self. Yet none of them bring home the bullets to be shared with their families. On the contrary the doctors and health care workers not only get infected in the line of their national duty but also bring home the infection to their families including children. To treat these martyrs indifferently is national sacrilege. To tell these families and children to fend for themselves is injustice of highest order.
Honourable Minister for state Shri Ashwini Kumar Choubey has stated that public health and Hospitals come under states and so the insurance compensation data is not available with the Union Government. This amounts to abdication of duty and abandonment of the national heroes who have stood up for our people. IMA finds it strange that after having formulated an unfriendly partial insurance scheme for the bereaved families to struggle with the ignominy of the Government disowning them altogether stares at them.
IMA hereby publishes the list of Indian doctors who died in the pandemic due to Covid 19. We demand they be acknowledged and treated as martyrs. Their families and children deserve solace and solatium from the National Government. IMA also commends to the Government they seek such data from the representatives of Nurses and other health care workers. IMA has had the honour to share with your ministry and the Government hundreds of suggestions and feedback during this national Health emergency. The Honourable Prime Minister deemed it fit to invite the National President of IMA to a meeting to share the concerns and seek suggestions and co operation. The suo moto statement of the Honourable Health Minister preferred to ignore the national dimension of the war against Covid.
Annexure- list of Covid martyrs
