The government has started compensating the families of those who have died of coronavirus (Covid-19) while serving such patients.
The first compensation package is received by the late Defense Secretary Abdullah Al Mohsin Chowdhury and Assistant Professor of Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Dr Md Moyeen Uddin's family.
Three days ago the finance division under finance ministry sent two separate letters to the Chief Accounts Officer of the finance department to sanction a total of Tk 1 crore in the name of both the families. The letter, signed by Dr Mohammad Abu Yusuf, joint secretary of the finance division, said the Drawing and Disbursing Officer (DDO) of the finance division would hand over the compensation cheques to the wives of the victims.
But it is also learned finance secretary Abdur Rouf Talukdar may have handed over the cheques to those families.
The letter said that the expenditure would be made from the allocation of Tk 500 crore in the budget for the current fiscal year 2020-21 for the 'Special Grants for Health Risk Compensation'.
Compensation is being paid following a circular issued by the Finance Division on April 23 to compensate doctors, nurses, health workers, field administrators, law enforcement, armed forces and other directly employed republic employees in the service of COVID-19 patients.
As per the circular, government employees involved in the treatment of patients with coronavirus will be compensated according to their grades. Abdullah Al Mohsin Chowdhury was the first grade and Dr Md Moyeen Uddin was a fifth-grade government employee.
According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the first application for compensation was made on April 26 by Dr Md Moyeen Uddin's wife, Dr Chowdhury Rifat Jahan.
Dr Md Moyeen Uddin, an assistant professor of medicine at Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital, died on April 15. Md. Moinul Haque, Principal of MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital, recommended in the application of Chowdhury Rifat Jahan that he was infected with Covid -19 while performing his professional duties.
On April 5, Dr Moyeen was infected with the coronavirus. When his condition deteriorated, he was kept in isolation in the coronavirus unit of Shaheed Shamsuddin Hospital in Sylhet on April 8. From there he was later transferred to Kurmitola General Hospital in Dhaka as per family decision. There he died.
Meanwhile, the late Secretary Abdullah Al Mohsin Chowdhury died on June 29. He had been ill since the first week of May. He was taking treatment at home. He was later taken to Combined Military Hospital (CMH). There his coronavirus was diagnosed and he died after being in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for two weeks. A letter has been sent to his wife Gul Sakina Parveen as she will receive that compensation package.
According to the police headquarters, 14,482 people have been infected with Covid-19 till Tuesday. Of them, 63 died.
Besides, 6,007 retired and working members of the armed forces have been infected. Of them, 108 died. However, there are six soldiers among the dead to get compensation.
If someone dies after retirement, the family will not get compensation. Of the members of Bangladesh Ansar, 910 have been infected with Covid-19 and 7 of them have died. Although 244 members of the fire brigade were attacked, no one died.
According to the Bangladesh Doctor Foundation (BDF), 2,392 doctors have been infected with Covid-19 and 89 have died as a result. In addition, 1,793 nurses were tested coronavirus-positive. Eleven nurses died and seven others died.
Bangladesh Doctors’ Foundation (BDF) chairman Dr Shahed Rafi Pavel said, “Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina made this announcement on her own. As far as I have heard, the families of the dead are being compensated earlier.”
“Many people claim to be positive, but surely the authorities concerned will decide who will receive the money after checking the facts on the ground,” he added.
It is learned that the finance division is currently compensating the families of the deceased but compensation for the victims will be decided later,” he also said.
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