Telangana government has announced an ex-gratia payment of ₹25 lakh to the family members of late Dr G Naresh Kumar, a medical officer with the government, who died of COVID-19 and on August 7. This is the first time that the government is paying ex-gratia to a healthcare professional who died of COVID-19.
Dr Kumar, who served in Bhadradri-Kothagudem, headed the Manuguru based quarantine centre. He succumbed to the infectious disease after battling it for over a week at hospitals in Hyderabad. His colleagues, government doctors and others across the State had demanded ex-gratia to him and other healthcare professionals who died of COVID.
On September 1, Health Minister Eatala Rajender announced that the State government would pay ex-gratia of ₹25 lakh to healthcare professionals who died of COVID.This will be in addition to the ₹50 lakh insurance benefits offered by the Centre.
Principal secretary of the State Health department Syed Ali Murtaza Rizvi on Friday sent a communication to Commissioner of the Health and Family Welfare section Vakati Karuna to pay ₹25 lakhs ex-gratia to family members of late Dr Kumar. Earlier, the State government had announced a gazetted job to Dr Kumar’s wife G Pavani.
