High Court expounds insurance services essential during Covid

High Court expounds insurance services essential during Covid

No restrain on the movement of medical and health cover employees

The Delhi High Court has observed that medical and health insurance are essential services during the COVID-19 pandemic situation.

A bench of Justice Prathiba M. Singh ruled that if during the pandemic, the issuance of e-pass was made a complex process for persons dealing with health insurance policies and claims; it would result in enormous delays.

Therefore, the employees of insurance companies cannot be restrained from free movement, as many are dependent on them for the clearance of health insurance claims for discharge from the hospitals, it said.

The case pertained to Bupa Health Insurance Company versus the Government of Delhi.

The appellant contended that the employees of the company, pursuant to the said requirement, applied to the Delhi government for an e-pass. However, all their applications were 'rejected' without providing any reasons.

The government, however, submitted that there were several discrepancies in the documents of the employees. For example, an employee was residing in one district, but had applied for an e-pass in a different district. Due to such differences, the issuance of e-passes was still pending and not rejected.

Disposing of the writ petition, the court remarked, "The employees would be exempted from the curfew restrictions." They ought to be permitted to move freely between their offices and hospitals, in order to expedite the processing of medical insurance claims, it added.