India News | NHM Releases Rs 10 Lakh Ex-gratia to Family of Deceased J&K Doctor
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. The Jammu and Kashmir chapter of the National Health Mission released an ex-gratia relief of Rs 10 lakh on Tuesday for the kin of a doctor who died due to COVID-19 in Bandipora district last month.
Jammu, Aug 25 (PTI) The Jammu and Kashmir chapter of the National Health Mission released an ex-gratia relief of Rs 10 lakh on Tuesday for the kin of a doctor who died due to COVID-19 in Bandipora district last month.
Medical Officer Shabir Ahmad Malik, a resident of Sumbal, died of COVID-19 in Soura Medical institute Srinagar on July 28 after contracting the virus during official duty in the Gurez area of the north Kashmir district.
"It is for the first time since the launch of NHM in J&K that the government has sanctioned social security benefits for employees working under the Mission in the Union Territory," NHM Mission Director Bhupinder Kumar, said.
He said approval of social security benefits for the NHM employees was a long-pending demand, adding that it took herculean efforts at various levels for its approval from the Health Ministry.
Kumar said in addition to the ex-gratia, the NHM employees would also be provided with financial aid for medical expenses and disability.
Health Department Financial Commissioner Atal Dulloo said it was because of COVID warriors like Malik "we have been able to fight COVID-19 pandemic".
"The ex-gratia amount sanctioned under National Health Mission is in addition to the insurance under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package for health workers fighting COVID-19 and additional ex-gratia by Union Territory government for COVID Victim Healthcare Workers," he added.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)