IMA slams Centre for not mentioning doctors who lost lives due to coronavirus

New Delhi : Even though PM Narendra Modi has mentioned several times in his speech about the great contribution of doctors and medical staffers who have been working tirelessly to ensure good health of Indian citizens, Dr Harsh Vardhan forgot to make a mention about the deaths of doctors during the coronavirus fight, leading to irk IMA.

Accusing the government of "indifference", "abdication" and "abandonment of heroes", the country's top body of medical practitioners said in such a circumstance, the government "loses the moral authority to administer the Epidemic Act 1897 and the Disaster Management Act".

The IMA notified that till date 382 doctors have lost their lives to coronavirus. In the list it released, the youngest doctor to lose his life was 27 years old and the oldest was 85.

"To feign that this information doesn't merit the attention of the nation is abominable," the IMA statement read. "It appears that they are dispensable. No nation has lost as many doctors and health care workers like India," the statement added.

The IMA dug out statement of Union minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey and said the government does not have the compensation data as public health and hospitals comes under the states.

"This amounts to an abdication of duty and abandonment of the national heroes who have stood up for our people. IMA finds it strange that after having formulated an unfriendly partial insurance scheme for the bereaved families to struggle with the ignominy of the Government disowning them altogether stares at them," the statement read.

Such a circumstance also exposes the "hypocrisy of calling them corona warriors on one hand and denying them and their families the status and benefits of martyrdom," the IMA said.