Supreme Court Extends PMGKY Insurance to Families of Private Doctors Who Died During Covid Duties

New Delhi, Dec 2025 : The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that families of private doctors and healthcare professionals who lost their lives while performing Covid-19 duties cannot be excluded from the Centre’s Rs 50 lakh insurance scheme under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana Package (PMGKY).

The ruling came on an appeal filed by the widow of Dr B.S. Surgade, a private practitioner who succumbed to Covid-19 in June 2020 after keeping his clinic operational during the nationwide lockdown. Earlier, the Bombay High Court had rejected her plea, reasoning that Dr Surgade’s work was not formally “requisitioned” as Covid duty.

The Supreme Court bench, comprising Justices P.S. Narasimha and R. Mahadevan, held that families of doctors and healthcare workers cannot be denied insurance benefits due to a rigid, technical interpretation of “formal requisition” orders. The court emphasized that the extraordinary circumstances at the pandemic’s onset must be considered contextually, and entitlement should not hinge solely on individual appointment letters or formal orders.

Citing the Centre’s notification launching the PMGKY insurance scheme and municipal directives requiring dispensaries to remain open, the bench noted that the regulatory framework was designed to mobilize all healthcare professionals during the crisis. Justice Narasimha observed that the insurance scheme was “equally intended to assure doctors and health professionals in the front line that the country is with them.”

While discarding a hyper-technical test for requisition, the apex court clarified that eligibility under the PMGKY remains case-specific. It stated: “Once we have decided that there was a ‘requisition,’ the applicability of the insurance policy will then depend upon actual evidence. If there is clear evidence that the deceased lost his life while performing Covid-19-related duties, the policy will have to be applied.”

The court underscored that it was not responsible for verifying the credibility of individual claims. “Our enquiry is confined to determining the question as to whether there is ‘requisition’ of the services of doctors and health professionals. It is for the concerned offices or agencies to examine individual claims based on clear evidence,” the judgment clarified.

The apex court also highlighted that the onus to prove that the deceased died while performing Covid-19 duties rests on the claimant and must be established through credible evidence.

In its judgment, the Supreme Court acknowledged the unprecedented strain that the Covid-19 pandemic placed on healthcare systems worldwide. Despite immense challenges, the Justice Narasimha-led bench lauded the commitment and courage of healthcare workers, stating: “Our doctors and health professionals rose as unwavering heroes, turning challenges into courage.”

The ruling is widely seen as a landmark decision recognizing the sacrifices of private medical practitioners and ensuring that bureaucratic technicalities do not prevent families from receiving due compensation under the PMGKY insurance scheme.

Team Maverick