5,000 apply for ex gratia, many more sans Covid death docus

5,000 apply for ex gratia, many more sans Covid death docus

Amrita.Didyala@timesgroup.com

Hyderabad:01.12.2021

Around 5,000 people have so far applied for Covid compensation in Telangana, as per health authorities. With many more returning from Meeseva centres each day, hoping to get proper certificates so they can apply for the compensation.

The compensation for family members of Covid victims was announced by the Centre a month ago. The Telangana government released guidelines for payment of the ex gratia recently.

So far, 6.75 lakh people in Telangana have been infected by Covid-19, of which 3,992 succumebd to the virus, as per official figures. However, these figures have taken into account only deaths of patients who did not have any other ailment and deaths recorded in hospitals. Authorities say, deaths in patients having other complications were not labelled as Covid deaths, making it tough for their kin to seek compensation.

Elaborating on other situations where the kin would not have required certificates, an official from the health department, said, “several patients who died on the way to hospitals, in ambulances, during the first and second wave might have gone unrecorded. Many died in remote villages with or without treatment. Some underwent Covid tests, but there were no death certificates. Others do not have reports of supportive tests like CT Scan, RTPCR etc.”

“Besides this, in case of hospitalised patients, some families did not even take the bodies home during the first wave due to the associated stigma. The government itself conducted the cremation. Such family members have no evidence that the patient died due to Covid-19,” added the official.

Despite the fact that the state has formed a district-level ‘Covid-19 death ascertaining’ committee (CDAC) a fortnight ago, many are unable to get the necessary documents. “There are many people turning up saying that the patient had tested positive, but had died at home while undergoing treatment or had suddenly deteriorated and died. As a result, the families do not have the required reports. Their death certificates do not mention Covid as cause of death and they are now unable to apply for compensation,” said a meeseva employee from Ameenpur area.