NOKs of HCPs deserve inclusive help

The COVID-19 pandemic, since its outbreak globally, has destroyed families with numerous people losing their loved ones. While people generally got affected by the COVID-19, the doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals (HCPs) who acted as frontline workers—who used to work round the clock at hospitals and directly deal with the positive patients—have seen the worst. Not only have they lost their lives, but at the initial stage of the pandemic, worked amid limited resources available to them.
As per estimates by the Indian Medical Association (IMA), over 1300 doctors have lost their lives since the pandemic started in the country even in the second wave alone, over 700 doctors lost their lives. However, the numbers are in total contrast to what the Government has stated in the Parliament. As per the Government, up till February last year, 174 Doctors, 116 Nurses and 199 Health Workers have died in the country due to COVID. In J&K, at least three doctors have died due to COVID and have been provided with the necessary compensation.
Across the country, with the outbreak of the pandemic, we saw healthcare workers struggling for want of beds, ICUs beds, ventilators and other necessities; even they initially for a good period struggled due to the shortage of masks, PPE kits. However, despite that, they have put on a tough fight against the COVID and fought it bravely.
While the world might be walking towards the end of the pandemic, there is a need for the Centre as well as the state Governments across the country to expedite the process of compensation to the next of kin (NOK) of those healthcare workers who have lost their lives due to COVID-19.
Even as the Government, as per the figures, has provided over Rs 800 crore to the NOKs of over 1600 under the Insurance Scheme for Health Workers Fighting COVID-19 launched on March 30, 2020, to provide personal accident cover of Rs 50 Lakh to over 22 lakh health care providers including community health workers and private health workers working on the frontlines, but still, there is a need for ramping up the entire process and ensuring that the affected family members are provided with compensation that they deserve.
The point that also needs to be taken into the consideration is that the affected families have lost their earning hands forever—the Government should explore other possibilities to provide comprehensive compensation, assistance to all those affected families across the country so that they could lead a better life.