The Delhi High Court has ordered the Delhi government to pay a compensation of Rs one crore to the kin of a Malayali health worker who died of Covid-19 in the national capital three years ago.
Rachel Joseph, a native of Pathanamthitta, was working as a blood bank manager with the Medeor Hospital (earlier Rockland) when she died of the disease in June 2020 after getting infected during the first wave of the pandemic.
Though the Delhi Government had announced financial assistance of Rs one crore to the kin of the health workers who died of the infection while in the line of duty, the authorities argued that Rachel, who was the Blood Bank Quality Manager and Supervisor, was not deployed for Covid duty. Her husband Joseph Varghese moved the High Court, challenging this.
However, the government stuck to its stance and refused to extend the compensation. It continued to raise arguments such as Rachel, in charge of the blood bank then, was not deployed for Covid duty and that the blood bank's functioning wouldn’t fall under the scope of Covid treatment. Rachel’s family again approached the High Court.
The lawyers, representing the petitioner, argued that the health care facility was then declared a ‘Covid Hospital’ and that all the workers there could be treated only as Covid warriors. Even a Delhi minister who was administered plasma treatment benefited from the functioning of the blood bank, they pointed out.
When the court sought the opinion of the Delhi government on the matter following the third-round filing of the petition, the latter agreed to provide the compensation. Following this, the court issued a favourable verdict.
