A limited amount of money is just a drop in the bucket!

US media: New crown compensation plan is difficult to cover up government negligence

  CNN October 10th article, original title: Many Indians cannot prove that their loved ones died from the new crown. This may be a problem. This spring, when the cruel second wave of new crown pneumonia epidemic ravaged India, Ankit · Srivastava ran all the hospitals in the Indian city of Varanasi to seek medical advice for mothers who were infected with the new crown.

However, the hospital had no beds, oxygen, medicines and testing equipment, and his mother died soon.

  Recently, the Indian government announced a compensation plan that will provide 50,000 rupees (approximately US$670) to each family of the deceased from the new crown.

In theory, the plan should help people like Srivastava.

However, experts believe that some families of the deceased from the new crown may not receive compensation, which makes many Indian families who have lost their pillars in the epidemic and now have food and clothing problems.

  Uncounted dead

  According to the guidelines approved by the Supreme Court of India last Monday, if a loved one dies within 30 days after the diagnosis of the new crown, the family member can receive compensation.

If the death occurred while receiving COVID-19 treatment in the hospital, the family members are also eligible for compensation, even if the death occurred 30 days after the diagnosis.

The deceased must test positive for the new crown or be "clinically diagnosed" by a doctor as a patient with new coronary pneumonia in order to be recorded as a new crown case.

When family members apply for compensation, they must provide a death certificate stating that new coronary pneumonia is the cause of death.

  But for many people in India, these rules pose big problems.

Long before the epidemic, the death toll in India was underreported.

According to a recent study, only 86% of deaths in the country are usually registered in the government system, and only 22% of all registered deaths have an official cause of death certified by a doctor.

This problem became more serious during the epidemic, and millions of new crown deaths like Srivastava's mother were not counted.

Gite, the chairman of the Delhi-based SBS Foundation, said that even with a death certificate, many of the deaths were not recorded as COVID-19 because they were not diagnosed by a doctor.

Many death certificates of the deceased from the new crown "stated that they died of lung failure, respiratory disease or cardiac arrest."

  The guidelines state that family members can apply to amend the cause of death on the death certificate.

A district committee will review the application and check the medical records of the deceased.

If they believe that the new crown is the cause of death, a new death certificate will be issued.

However, no further details have been released as to what criteria the committee will use to determine the cause of death a few months ago and what evidence family members need to provide.

  Cumbersome official procedures

  In April this year, Puja Sharma's husband died of the new crown.

She felt helpless and lonely, and did not know how to feed her two young children.

The 33-year-old mother said: "I don't know what to do. I haven't been to school, and I don't know how to make money."

  Sharma said that although the cause of death on her husband’s death certificate was the new crown, she may still face a difficult “battle”.

The Indian government has long-term delays and bureaucratic problems.

SBS Foundation Chairman Jitt said: “The disadvantaged or impoverished people are the hardest hit, first from the new crown, and then from the entire system.” Because of their low level of education, it is a “cumbersome task to deal with complex issues in the system.” ", which includes collecting supporting documents, filling out forms, communicating with local officials and providing medical information.

  Sharma learned the government's red tape when he applied for a state support in June.

She said: "I filled out all the forms with the help of others, and went to the government office every day, but so far there is no news. I don't think the money will have results." Although she would apply for new crown compensation, she said that there was no Confidence to get the money.

  Can't solve all problems

  Many people were as disappointed as Sharma, thinking that the government's compensation was too little and it was too late.

  The second wave of the epidemic actually caused trauma to the whole of India, exposed the government's mistakes, and sowed deep anger among the public. To a large extent, they felt abandoned by the leaders.

Many factors exacerbated the second wave of epidemics.

The government’s slow actions and failure to prepare in advance led to a severe shortage of medical supplies at the most desperate moments.

The shortage has also led to a boom in the black market, driving up the prices of oxygen cylinders and medicines.

Without the help of the government, many families have no choice but to put out all their savings and borrow money, hoping to save their loved ones.

Simran Kaur, the founder of the non-profit organization Needle and Needle, said that some women have to take care of a few young children alone when they lose their family support. “They are already in debt.”

"The government's one-off compensation does not solve all problems. For example, educating children, paying rent, or providing food on the daily table. In theory, it may sound good, but it is not enough."

  For most families, especially those who have lost multiple relatives due to the new crown, "50,000 rupees will not help," said Srivastava, who lost his mother.

He said that deeper scars still exist, as well as anger towards the government.

The government "has hardly made any preparations for the new crown," but "has no choice but to recover from the tragedy."

(Authors Jessie Yang, Leya Mogur, Swati Gupta, translated by Chen Junan)