The Union Health Minister on Monday, 19 April, announced that all claims under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package (PMGKP) will be settled by the insurance company till 24 April 2021, after which “a new dispensation will be provided to cover the Corona Warriors”.
The PMGKP scheme was launched to provided a safety net to healthcare and frontline workers due to any adversity due to the COVID-19 pandemic, was concluded on 24 March 2021. Under the scheme, healthcare workers will be provided an insurance cover of Rs 50 lakh. The scheme was implemented through an insurance policy purchased from New India Assurance Company.
The PMGKP scheme, which was announced in March 2020, had been extended thrice till March 2021. However, a recent letter by Rajesh Bhusan, Secretary of the Union Health Ministry of Health, came to light wherein the scheme was to end on 24 March.
The letter also stated that so far, only 287 claims have been approved under the PMGKP.
The move was condemned and, soon after it came to light, the Union Health Ministry on 18 April tweeted that a new insurance arrangement will soon be made for healthcare workers.
IMO Writes Letter to Centre Asking for Extension of Insurance
The Indian Medical Association wrote a letter to the Government of India on Monday, 19 April, asking it to extend the insurance scheme for healthcare workers.
India is currently witnessing a second wave of COVID-19 cases. On 19 April, 2,73,810 fresh cases of COVID-19 and 1,619 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours, according to figures provided by the Ministry of Health.
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