NHRC asks Centre, Delhi govt to consider providing medical care/insurances to contractual doctors, paramedical staff

New Delhi [India], May 19 : The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), on the basis of a complaint, asked the Union Health Ministry and the Delhi government to consider providing adequate medical care and financial protection to all the contractual medical and paramedical staff deployed by them.
This may include getting medical insurance to facilitate their treatment in private hospitals in these testing times.
Issuing the notices to the Secretary, Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, and the Chief Secretary, Delhi, the Commission has asked them to submit an action taken report in the matter within two weeks.
They have also been asked to take immediate steps to provide adequate financial and other support to COVID-19 infected Dr Amit Gupta, Senior Resident Pediatrics of Satyavadi Raja Harishchandra Hospital, Delhi, who is currently admitted in the ICU of the Medanta hospital, Gurugram, and not getting any financial support from the government on the ground that he was engaged on contract basis.
The complainant alleged that Dr Amit Gupta, got infected with COVID- 19 and he was shifted to Maharaja Agrasen Hospital as he could not get a bed in his hospital. However, there too, his condition deteriorated, and now he is undergoing treatment in Medanta Hospital, Gurugram.
It has further observed that it should not be forgotten that hospitals, beds, medicines, oxygen etc., may be arranged but not the medical and paramedical staff to work on the ground level.
Allegedly, the contractual doctors/ resident doctors and paramedical staff in the AIIMS are getting benefits of the EHS (Employees Health Services) but the contractual doctors/ resident doctors and paramedical staff of the Delhi government and the other Central government hospitals are not getting the similar facilities.