Covid insurance scheme for health workers extended
New Delhi, April 19
The Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package (PMGKP) insurance scheme for healthcare workers fighting Covid-19 has been extended further for 180 days from April 19.
It has been decided to extend the policy so as to continue to provide the safety net to the dependents of health workers who are deputed to take care of Covid patients.
A letter to this effect has been issued to Additional Chief Secretaries (Health), Principal Secretaries (Health), and Secretaries (Health) of all states/UTs. The PMGKP was launched on March 30, 2020, to provide comprehensive personal accident cover of Rs 50 lakh to 22.12 lakh healthcare providers, including community health workers and private health workers who may have been in direct contact of Covid patients.
Further, on account of the unprecedented situation, private hospital staff, retired employees, volunteers, local urban bodies, daily earners, ad-hoc and outsourced staff requisitioned by states and central hospitals are also covered under the PMGKP. — TNS
40% weekly rise in cases in Haryana
The Health Ministry on Tuesday sent letters to Haryana, UP, Delhi and Mizoram cautioning against the rise in Covid cases over the last two weeks indicating rising trends. Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan, in a letter to Haryana Additional Chief Secretary Rajeev Arora, said weekly cases had risen from 521 on April 12 to 1,299 by Tuesday, representing a 40 per cent rise.
