Families of several sole-earning private doctors who died in the line of duty battling COVID in Maharashtra narrate their plight, financial burden and the uncertainty ahead
When the government asked for the help of private doctors amid the overwhelming rise in COVID-19 cases, they stepped forward and in the process, 58 of them died of the virus. But, today, their families have been denied the R50-lakh insurance cover. The families, most of whom have lost their sole breadwinner, ask the government why they have been left out of the financial support scheme meant for the Corona Warriors.
mid-day on Thursday reached out to families of some of the deceased doctors from Thane, Ahmednagar and other parts of the state. Many of them are survived by elderly parents, wives and newborns, left without financial support.
Dr Vilas Kakade
Dr Advait Kakade, 32, lost his 65-year-old father, Dr Vilas Kakade, to COVID-19 in July. Dr Vilas, an MBBS hailing from Karjat taluka, Ahmednagar, was practising and taking care of asymptomatic COVID-19 patients.
Advait said, "My father had no health problems but in the second week of July, he developed symptoms and did blood tests for dengue and malaria, but his symptoms had aggravated and he died a few days later." "We hope the government will keep its promise and help the poor families with monetary help, by clearing the insurance papers," said Advait.
Dr Akshay Thakur
Life had never been so cruel to the family of Dr Akshay, 29, from Upawan, Thane West. His mother Prathiba, 56, who was undergoing treatment for COVID-19 in the same hospital, had spoken to him on July 2 when he was moved out of the ICU. "Aai, I am fine now, I will be discharged in the next two days," Akshay had told his mother. But, by evening his health deteriorated and he was put back on ventilator support. He died on July 5.
"We have lost our son who was everything to us. I do not have pension or a source of income. We owe R14 lakh to people who helped us for the treatment," said father Deepak, adding that Akshay also bought their medicines, costing Rs 8,000 monthly.
"The health officials who were talking to me initially have now stopped answering my calls. The frontline health workers started keeping their clinic open as per the government directive and even they were assured insurance coverage for Corona warriors. Then, why are we made to suffer?" asked Deepak.
Dr Dnyaneshwar Bhosale
Dr Dnyaneshwar, 36, was the only paediatrician from his village, Mortalwadi, in Latur district. He had even started his 25-bed paediatric hospital in Udgir 10 months back. He had taken a loan of Rs 20 lakh from two banks to start his 'Bhosale Children "Hospital'.
His younger brother Taterao Bhosale, 29, told mid-day, "He was an inspiration for many youngsters from our village." Our father, Ramesh, 58, a retired school teacher, had sold his farms for Dnyaneshwar's education.
On July 8, my brother complained of breathing difficulty and we took him to a local doctor, who advised us to shift him to a super speciality centre. He succumbed to COVID-19 on July 29, and 15 days back his wife Priyanka, 27, delivered a baby girl — their second child.
"All our claims for the insurance cover have been getting rejected. We have a loan of Rs 20 lakh and yearly rent of R9 lakh for the hospital. I don't know how we will pay them without financial support. Also, his children are too young, and all our dreams have been shattered," said Taterao, a software engineer in Pune.
Dr Manohar Anandhe
Dr Manohar, 66, a paediatrician was an inspiration and mentor for many young medical professionals from Chandrapur and the neighbouring districts. He set up 'Anandhe hospital' which remained operational even during the lockdown.
His son Dr Ajinkya, 32, said, "My father was healthy, exercised regularly and had no comorbidities. He actively looked at patients who were coming with regular fever.
My father became unwell in the third week of September and by September 17 his health started deteriorating. He breathed his last on September 18."
"I am fortunate that my father had kept some savings... We hope that the government will consider the contribution of the fallen frontline warriors and help their families monetarily."
Dr Prashant Jagtap
Dr Prashant, 32, hailed from Kuldharan village, near Ahmednagar. He was a practising BHMS (Bachelor of Homoeopathic Medicine and Surgery) doctor at a private hospital.
He was on COVID-19 duty when he contracted the virus and died in the first week of August.
Also Read: COVID-19: Frontline doctors not paid for three months now
Prashant's brother Kumar Jagtap told mid-day that Prashant got married in May 2019 and his wife Aarti, 25, was due for delivery when she was informed about his serious health condition. She recently delivered a girl who has been named Prapthi, said Kumar.
Dr Prashant Jagtap's parents Pramod Jagtap, 60, and Ahilya Jagtap, who were dependent on their son financially
He added, "We have not received any financial support from the government or political leaders from our village. Our parents are too old and he was the only support for us."
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