No data of dead healthcare staff: Harsh Vardhan

New Delhi, September 15

After failing to come up with data on the number of migrants killed while making their way back to villages, the government said it did not have the complete data on the number of healthcare staff, including doctors, nurses, support staff and ASHA workers, who have been affected by and died of Covid. However, the government said kin of 155 healthcare staff, including 64 doctors, had sought relief under the PM Garib Kalyan Insurance Package, which provides relief in case of death of healthcare providers.

Kin of 32 nurses, 14 ASHA workers and 45 others, presumably drivers and cremation staff, also applied for insurance. UP accounts for maximum deaths of doctors (eight), Gujarat in case of nurses (six deaths), Telangana for ASHA workers (three) and Maharashtra accounted for half of the 45 dead in others’ category. “Health is a state subject. Such data is not kept at the Central level. However, it is maintained at the national level under the PM scheme,” Health Minister Harsh Vardhan told Binoy Viswam (CPI) in a reply. — TNS