The Andhra Pradesh government on Monday announced an ex-gratia of Rs 25 lakh to all regularly employed doctors in the state, in the event that they succumb to the coronavirus, while discharging COVID-19 duties. The order was issued by the Principal Secretary of Andhra Pradesh's Health and Family Welfare department, Anil Kumar Singhal, on Monday. "The government after careful examination hereby accords permission to the District Collectors in the state for the sanction of an ex-gratia of Rs 25 lakh to the immediate dependents of the deceased regular employees who were drafted to COVID-19 duties and were exposed to COVID-19," said Singhal. The government announced an ex-gratia of Rs 25 lakh for doctors, Rs 20 lakh for staff nurses and Rs 10 lakh for other medical staff.

Set to benefit the dependents of the employees, this ex-gratia will be in addition to the benefit under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package insurance scheme. "The dependents receiving any benefit under any other scheme are also eligible for the ex-gratia," the order said. However, the deceased employee should have succumbed to COVID-19 while discharging COVID-19 duties inside a COVID-19 hospital, Covid Care Centre or while visiting the home of an infected person. Likewise, a COVID-19 positive certificate and death certificate stating that the death was due to COVID-19 are mandatory. According to Singhal, dependents of the employees awaiting a declaration of their probation are also eligible for the ex-gratia.

"This ex-gratia is in addition to any other benefit from insurance companies, organisations and institutions and other statutory payments by the Union and state governments," Singhal noted. Respective District Collectors have been entrusted with the responsibility of verifying the relevant documents before sanctioning the ex-gratia. The order comes less than a week after Andhra Pradesh Health Minister Alla Kali Krishna Srinivas assured protesting junior doctors in the state of meeting their demands.

The junior doctors had also demanded that Kandikatla Rosy, a house surgeon at Eluru's Ashram Hospital who succumbed to COVID-19 should be the first beneficiary of this ex-gratia. However, there is no clarity if this was the case.