The Madhya Pradesh government will provide full reimbursement of medical expenses to doctors and staffers of government-administered autonomous medical colleges which are at the forefront of the battle against COVID-19.

This will benefit nearly 10,000 staffers and doctors of such institutions in the state, a public relations department official said on Sunday.

Till now, there was a provision for medical reimbursement of up to Rs 3,000 for doctors, nurses, paramedics, technicians and other staff of such medical colleges.

On the other hand, staffers of various government departments are entitled for full reimbursement of their medical bills under the Madhya Pradesh Civil Services Medical Care Rules, 1958, he said.

“This discrepancy has been removed now after officials and staff of government-administered autonomous medical colleges brought the issue to the notice of state Medical Education Minister Vishwas Sarang,” the official said.

The government has also decided that junior doctors working in medical colleges can get reimbursement for life saving drugs, if they get infected by coronavirus, he said.

Discussions are also underway for an insurance scheme for medical students and Sarang has directed the officials concerned to prepare its draft, he added.