Daily Times

The British government has been the subject of criticism for their failure to provide any financial assistance and support to the families of NHS frontline workers who have lost their lives after contracting the coronavirus.

There is growing anger amongst health professionals and their colleagues over the reports that the families of those health workers including doctors, nurses and support staff who have given their lives in the war on Covid-19 virus were not even offered financial help for their funerals.

The BBC latest report suggests that almost 75 % NHS workers died during the Covid-19 crisis are from BAME communities. The latest victim from the BAME community is the first Sikh to work as an Accident and Emergency (A&E) consultant, Manjeet Riyat, 54 was working at the Royal Derby Hospital and died after contracting the deadly virus.

Many family members of those who have died complain that health professionals are not being given adequate protective equipment as they deals the with coronavirus cases on daily bases. It is likely that legal claims will follow against the health authorities in not providing appropriate protection.

The UK’s leading trade unions have called on the government to observe a minute’s silence on 28 April to remember the health, care and other key workers who have died from coronavirus. They said the minute’s silence was scheduled to be held on International Workers’ Memorial Day, which every year commemorates workers who have died around the world.

But health campaign groups believes that more need to be done and are calling on the government to announce special financial assistance for the families of those NHS workers who’ve lost their lives and paid the ultimate price, in keeping us safe. The fact that those ‘soldiers’ families are left with nothing, not even access to the pension they paid into or other taxes including a tax to use the NHS if they get sick. They says it just seems so morally wrong for this group to have ever paid an NHS tax when they came to the U.K to work and it is now finally accepted that they truly have been heroes and have been vital to the functioning of the NHS, without whom all of our lives would be at risk.

This newspaper and UK leading human rights lawyer Barrister Khadim Al’Hassan were the first to highlight the issue of non- EU NHS working and argued they should be given indefinite leave and so the families of those left behind after losing their loved ones, and be provided with financial aid.

Since the publication of the story , the UK’s cross party Home Affairs Committee (HAC) of the House of Commons has also raised questions on the governments visas extensions for the NHS staff and their families. The Committee Chairperson Yvettee Cooper MP wrote a letter to the UK Home Secretary Priti Patel asking for clarifications about the government’s one year automatic free visa extension scheme for the NHS staff. In the letter, she also asked about the provisions in place for the non-family members of any NHS worker who died from the virus.

UK’s immigration experts told the members of the HAC on Tuesday that the Home Office (HO) proposal to extend visas for NHS staff for one year would not cover all health workers. They claimed that the scheme appeared to cover only holders of tier 2 visas – general work permits and not those working on family reunion visas, and nor did they apply to porters, healthcare assistants or cleaners.

However, HO on Wednesday confirmed the NHS extension is not limited to those on Tier 2 visas. They have advised that anyone working as a doctor, nurse or paramedic get in touch with their HR dept, as HO is also asking individual Health Trusts to notify them of those eligible.

When asked to comment on the issue, Barrister Khadim Al’Hassan said that ‘Many people have said that the NHS is fighting a war against an invisible enemy, they would ordinarily be described as soldiers in war and if they died in the line of duty they would be entitled to many benefits including the full funeral costs.