Supreme Court Rules Private Doctors Who Died of COVID Eligible for PM Insurance Scheme

The Supreme Court held that the families of private doctors who died of COVID-19 while treating patients are entitled to benefits under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan insurance scheme.

The Bench of Justices PS Narasimha and R Mahadevan set aside a Bombay High Court ruling which had denied benefits to doctors not formally requisitioned for COVID duty.

The bench emphasised that doctors who served during the pandemic, regardless of formal deployment, cannot be denied insurance coverage.

The judgment clarified that eligibility under the scheme depends on whether the doctor actively provided medical services during the pandemic and whether the death resulted from COVID-19.

[Pradeep Arora v. Director, Health Depatment]