IMA seeks Rs 50 lakh cover for doctors

GHAZIABAD: The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has sought insurance for the private doctors and nurses it is going to provide to the health department for treating the rising number of Covid patients.
The Ghaziabad health department had urged the IMA last month to arrange for 12 doctors and an equal number of nurses for two Covid centres that are being set up. The department had also sought ventilators and other equipment.
Covid cases are expected to rise sharply at a time the district has decided to scale up testing to 2,000 samples daily. Although the administration is ramping up its health infrastructure, shortage of trained doctors and staff is a cause for concern. The IMA’s move to provide doctors assumes all the more significanc against this backdrop.
IMA president Dr VB Jindal said the association had decided to pay the private doctors on Covid duty from its own corpus. “We are trying to get manpower for helping the health department but it’s a difficult task. We have circulated advertisements among our groups. To ensure that people show interest, we have also decided to offer them an ‘appreciation amount’ for their contribution in the fight against coronavirus. For doctors, it is Rs 50,000 a month, while a nurse will be given Rs 30,000. So far, three-four doctors have been selected. We will hand over the list of doctors to the health department in a couple of days.”
The association, however, said the government was not ready to provide facilities to private doctors that are being extended to government health staff. “Our national and state bodies have been raising the issue. The insurance of Rs 50 lakh is only for government doctors. This should be extended to private doctors and those medicos working in Covid hospitals on a voluntary basis,” said Jindal.