NEW DELHI, Aug 6:
Over 1,000 claims have been settled and paid till August 4 under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package: Insurance Scheme for Health Workers Fighting COVID-19, Union Minister Bharati Pravin Pawar told Lok Sabha on Friday.
In a written reply, the minister of state for health said the scheme was launched on March 30 last year to provide comprehensive personal accident cover of Rs 50 Lakh to 22.12 lakh healthcare providers, including community and private health workers, who may have been in direct contact and care of COVID-19 patients and could be at risk of being impacted by this.
Further, on account of the unprecedented situation, private hospital staff, volunteers, local urban bodies, and contract, daily wage and ad-hoc outsourced staff requisitioned by state, central hospitals and autonomous hospitals of the centre, states, union territories, AIIMS, institutes of national importance, and hospitals of central ministries specifically drafted for care of COVID-19 patients were also covered under the scheme, Pawar said.
The scheme is being implemented through an insurance policy from New India Assurance Company Limited, a public sector company under the Union finance ministry’s department of financial services, she said.
The Minister added that “1,016 claims have been settled and paid as on August 4, 2021”.
The implementation of the insurance scheme in states and UTs is regularly reviewed by officials of the health and finance ministries, Pawar said. During these reviews it was noted that in some cases payment of claims was getting delayed on account of receipt of incomplete claim documents or delay in receipt of documents from states and UTs, she said.
As a result, it was decided to further streamline and simplify the process of settlement of claims to ensure expedite payment to claimants, Pawar said.
With effect from May 28, a new system of claim settlement has been implemented, according to which, claim papers are now being examined by district collectors, she said.
On the basis of certificates furnished by district collectors and counter signed by state nodal officers, the insurance company is mandated to make payment to tclaimants within 48 hours, Pawar said in her the reply. (PTI)
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