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Key Points:
The Supreme Court ruled that families of private doctors who died while serving during COVID-19 are eligible for ₹50 lakh compensation under PMGKY.
The verdict came in favour of Dr. B.S. Surgade’s widow, whose claim was earlier rejected by the insurance company and the Bombay High Court.
The Court acknowledged the immense sacrifices of medical professionals, calling them heroes and extending relief to families of doctors who died on duty.
The Supreme Court declared a historic ruling regarding PMGKY (Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana). On Thursday, December 11, 2025, the honourable Supreme Court ruled that the families of private doctors who died while executing their duties in COVID 19 pandemic, should be eligible for the PMGKY scheme. The scheme allows a financial compensation of Rs. 50 lakhs.
While hearing a petition filed by the widow of Dr. B.S. Surgade, who died while performing his duties during COVID 19, the Supreme Court delivered the aforementioned verdict. Dr. Surgade was a private practitioner who was directed by the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation in 2020 to keep his private clinic/dispensary open. The directions invoked the COVID regulations, failing which he would have faced legal criminal prosecution.
Dr. Surgade succumbed to COVID-19 in 2020. After that, his wife reached out to his insurance company for financial compensation under the PMGKY scheme. However, the insurance company rejected her claims, based on three grounds, first that Dr. Surgade was a private practitioner, secondly that his clinic was not a government designated COVID-19 dispensary, and third that his services were not requisitioned by the government.
Dr. Surgade’s wife moved the Bombay High Court, but the ruling was not in her favour. Thereafter, she moved the Supreme Court against the Bombay High Court’s verdict. A bench of Justices P.S. Narasimha and R. Mahadevan delivered the ruling in her favour.
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The bench highlighted important points in their verdict. The verdict stated that “professionals rose as unwavering heroes, turning challenges into courage. Indian Medical Association’s COVID-19 registry records 748 doctors' deaths in the first wave and hundreds more in subsequent waves; one estimate noted around 798 doctors lost during the second wave alone.” It also mentioned that it was due to the hard work of medical professionals that patients could recover from COVID-19.
The Apex court’s decision comes as a huge relief to the families of medical professionals who lost their lives performing their duty during COVID-19 lockdown.
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