Madras High Court: RT-PCR test not compulsory if Chest CT scan confirms COVID.

On 16th June, 2021 the High Court of Madras was hearing a petition by the wife of a doctor who was undertaking private practice and was treating patients affected due to COVID-19 and who ultimately lost his life due to the same Virus. She applied for financial assistance of Rs. 50,00,000 under the “Pradhan Mantri Garib Package Insurance Scheme for Health Workers Fighting COVID-19”.

The insurance was denied to her since she was not in possession of the RT-PCR test report since her husband was directly subjected to 'CT-Chest COVID Screening Test' by the private hospital. The High Court however clarified that the RT-PCR test was not mandatory if a CT-Chest had confirmed the presence of COVID. The observations of the High Court are reproduced below-

“It is very clear from the 'CT-Chest COVID Screening Test' that the husband of the petitioner was afflicted with COVID-19. When such a clinching document is available, there is no requirement for insisting for the RTPCR Test result. In cases of this nature, the Authorities must not stick to technicalities and the claim must be considered with more humanness with the available documents which clearly substantiates the fact that the husband of the petitioner was suffering from COVID-19.”