NEW DELHI: The family of Dr Amit Gupta, a senior resident doctor of Delhi’s Satyawadi Raja Harishchandra Hospital who is under critical medical observation after contracting Covid in April, received a reimbursement of Rs 83.43 lakh last month on the intervention of National Human Rights Commission.
Dr Gupta is currently recuperating in a Hyderabad hospital where he underwent a liver transplant surgery.
“His condition remains critical as of now. His liver transplant is done but he has developed some complications. We are grateful that the Delhi government reimbursed some amount for his medical expenditure in July. We expect that the government will take care of the financial needs in future as well,” said a family member.
Though the Commission had issued a notice on May 16 to the health ministry and Delhi government asking them to extend financial assistance but did not take place as he was a contractual doctor. Last month, the family member had told this newspaper that they were under extreme financial duress and resorted to crowd funding as about Rs 1.5 crore was already spent on his treatment till July.
“We had to stop the crowd funding because it wasn’t doing well. Didn’t receive much response,” the family member said. The 39-year-old doctor was flown to Hyderabad for ECMO support treatment on May 23 following which his family, including wife, parents, minor son, and sister, have taken up a rented accommodation in Secunderabad.
Initially, Dr. Gupta was treated in his duty room as there was no bed at the height of the pandemic. Later, he was shifted to Shri Agrasen International Hospital and then to Medanta Gurgaon. Finally, he was hospitalised at Yoshada hospital in Hyderabad.
The NHRC has also called for framing a policy for all the contractual medical and paramedical staff deployed by the centre or state governments. In its response, the Delhi government informed that it has requested the Director General Health Services for the same to provide adequate medical care to doctors and paramedical staff hired on contract basis.
NHRC calls for policy
After taking note of Dr Gupta’s case in the pandemic, the NHRC has also called for framing a policy for all the contractual medical and paramedical staff deployed by the central or state governments