The Supreme Court of India has ruled that private medical practitioners and other health professionals who died while serving patients during the COVID-19 pandemic are eligible for benefits under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package (PMGKP) Insurance Scheme, even if they were not formally “requisitioned” by the government.
Background
The case arose from an appeal against a judgment of the Bombay High Court, which had held that private doctors could not claim the ₹50 lakh insurance benefit under the government’s pandemic insurance scheme unless there was a specific requisition order from state or central authorities.
Supreme Court’s Ruling
A bench of Justices P.S. Narasimha and R. Mahadevan set aside that decision and held that doctors who kept their clinics open and worked during COVID-19 must be treated as “requisitioned” for the purpose of the insurance scheme, since the pandemic conditions and statutory emergency powers effectively placed all available medical professionals on the frontline.
The Court observed that stringent technicalities about formal requisition letters should not exclude those who genuinely served during the health crisis.
While the ruling affirms eligibility, it also clarified that individual claims must still be evaluated on evidence showing that the deceased contracted COVID-19 in the line of duty.
Significance
This judgment ensures that the sacrifices of private practitioners and health workers who risked their lives treating patients during the pandemic are recognised and compensated under the government’s relief framework, preventing a narrow interpretation from denying their families crucial support.
