Suspected Covid treatment record enough to apply for death ex gratia

Suspected Covid treatment record enough to apply for death ex gratia

Arvind.Chauhan@timesgroup.com

Lucknow:02.12.2021

Families of patients who succumbed to suspected Covid-19 will be able to apply for ex gratia of Rs 50,000 even if there is no certificate confirming a Covid death. Medical records or doctor’s certificate detailing treatment of symptoms of Covid will be acceptable for claim, said an order from the state government on Wednesday.

Such applicants will have to submit whatever medical summary or doctor’s note they have indicating suspected coronavirus infection. However, the claim would be verified by a panel of experts. It would also only be applicable if a patient has succumbed within 30 days of treatment.

Further, responding to a query from TOI, additional district magistrate (finance) Bipin Mishra, the nodal officer for the Rs 50,000 ex gratia disbursal, said that even if there are no medical records at all, the application would be accepted.

In an investigation, TOI had found that there were many such patients who succumbed at home. In remote villages, victims died at clinics or private hospitals, often run by quacks. Such families had no document except for a death certificate to file for ex gratia claim.

The assurance from the administration has brought a ray of hope to scores of families which had followed the state government’s directives of home treatment in the absence of oxygen-supported beds in hospitals.

One such family is that of Sunita Singh’s. Her husband Sunit died in April and since then, life has been extremely difficult for Sunita and her three children. As Sunita is illiterate, her two daughters-—Saumya (18) and Shubhi

(15)—have become breadearners by taking tuition classes. The family till now could not receive any financial aid from the government because they had no medical summary or doctor’s note saying their father died of suspected coronavirus.

“There were no oxygen beds available at the time. We all were infected and took medicines (Ivermectin and Paracetamol) as advised by state health authorities. However, my father’s condition kept deteriorating and he succumbed on April 17, at a non-Covid hospital. Doctors did not give any medical summary, fearing action for admitting a Covid patient,” said Saumya, a student of LU. They live in a rented accommodation in Para.

“We have also applied for claims under Mukhyamantri Bal Vikas Yojana (Samanya) for non-Covid orphan and widow pension but have not received anything till now. On compassionate grounds, our landlord and children’s school waived off rent and fee for a year,” said Sunita.

Daily wage labourer Sanjeevan Lal (45) succumbed to suspected Covid on May 3. He is survived by his wife and five children. His eldest daughter Pooja (17) and wife Rajkumari had taken him to a local clinic in Bada Kasmandi village.

“We weren’t aware that the clinic was run by a quack. My father had all symptoms of corona, but since we don’t have certificates, we couldn’t apply for ex gratia,” said Pooja, who dropped out of school to work as domestic help to support the family.