Ahmedabad: Gujarat An active COVID-19 patient recorded its 10,100th ‘official’ death on Tuesday. In contrast, an ex-gratia of Rs 50,000 has already been paid to over 22,000 relatives of those who lost their lives during the pandemic, the state government said.
State Revenue Minister and government spokesperson Rajendra Trivedi said on Tuesday that the government has so far received around 38,000 applications for ex-gratia. Trivedi said the state government has transferred Rs 50,000 to 22,000 accounts through direct benefit transfer.
When questioned on the mismatch between the official COVID-19 toll and the higher number of compensation claims, Trivedi said a possible explanation, according to him, could be the difference in the criteria set by the state committee for counting the COVID-19 deaths. could. The Supreme Court has ordered compensation.
The minister said, “The state committee here had decided not to count the deaths due to heart attack or failure of other body parts due to COVID-19 and treat them as separate cases, The minister said, referring to the ICMR guidelines adopted by the state in classifying Covid deaths. ,
“The Supreme Court, however, ordered that all deaths within 30 days of patients testing positive for COVID-19 should be treated as eligible for compensation of Rs 50,000 without considering anything else. This is likely to increase the numbers, that’s what I mainly understand,” Trivedi said.
‘Numbers are expressions of people with comorbidities’
After the notification is issued by the state government, the amount is being paid from the State Disaster Relief Fund. Trivedi said that the remaining claims are being processed. “If they fall within the compensation norms prescribed by the SC, the payment will be made. The state government will continue to accept applications. Compared to other states, Gujarat is at the forefront in providing ex-gratia,” said the spokesperson.
It needs to be mentioned that the SC had asked the states that if the deceased is tested positive for COVID and dies within 30 days of testing positive in hospital or outside. Patients who were admitted for more than 30 days, as well as those who had COVID as the cause of death in the death certificate, were also considered for assistance.
The state government was swung into action when the state set up a Covid Mortality Assessment Committee to investigate the cause of death. After the reprimand the committee was abolished and the process was simplified with the option to apply online.
Experts say the increasing number of Covid death claims are clearly a manifestation of deaths of patients with comorbidities, which are not counted in the official tally. “Along with these deaths in high-risk categories due to health status or age was not officially acknowledged. The claims are now reflecting those numbers,” said a senior public health expert.
State Revenue Minister and government spokesperson Rajendra Trivedi said on Tuesday that the government has so far received around 38,000 applications for ex-gratia. Trivedi said the state government has transferred Rs 50,000 to 22,000 accounts through direct benefit transfer.
When questioned on the mismatch between the official COVID-19 toll and the higher number of compensation claims, Trivedi said a possible explanation, according to him, could be the difference in the criteria set by the state committee for counting the COVID-19 deaths. could. The Supreme Court has ordered compensation.
The minister said, “The state committee here had decided not to count the deaths due to heart attack or failure of other body parts due to COVID-19 and treat them as separate cases, The minister said, referring to the ICMR guidelines adopted by the state in classifying Covid deaths. ,
“The Supreme Court, however, ordered that all deaths within 30 days of patients testing positive for COVID-19 should be treated as eligible for compensation of Rs 50,000 without considering anything else. This is likely to increase the numbers, that’s what I mainly understand,” Trivedi said.
‘Numbers are expressions of people with comorbidities’
After the notification is issued by the state government, the amount is being paid from the State Disaster Relief Fund. Trivedi said that the remaining claims are being processed. “If they fall within the compensation norms prescribed by the SC, the payment will be made. The state government will continue to accept applications. Compared to other states, Gujarat is at the forefront in providing ex-gratia,” said the spokesperson.
It needs to be mentioned that the SC had asked the states that if the deceased is tested positive for COVID and dies within 30 days of testing positive in hospital or outside. Patients who were admitted for more than 30 days, as well as those who had COVID as the cause of death in the death certificate, were also considered for assistance.
The state government was swung into action when the state set up a Covid Mortality Assessment Committee to investigate the cause of death. After the reprimand the committee was abolished and the process was simplified with the option to apply online.
Experts say the increasing number of Covid death claims are clearly a manifestation of deaths of patients with comorbidities, which are not counted in the official tally. “Along with these deaths in high-risk categories due to health status or age was not officially acknowledged. The claims are now reflecting those numbers,” said a senior public health expert.
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