Health workers should receive death benefit claims minister
Health workers who die in the line of duty in the coronavirus pandemic should be guaranteed death in service benefit, according to Plaid Cymru.
The British Medical Association has raised concerns that many workers who have been drafted in do not qualify for the benefit – including newly-qualified staff, medical students and returning retirees. This means that if they were to die, their families would not qualify for any financial compensation.
Plaid Cymru says it would be a moral outrage were families of individuals who had sacrificed their lives so save others were to be denied this compensation.
Rhun ap Iorwerth, shadow health minister, said: “The family of any health worker who dies in active duty should be entitled to Death in Service benefit.
“Currently only workers who are part of the pension scheme are covered, which means that newly qualified staff, medical students and returning retirees are not only risking their lives, but their families’ future financial security too.
“The Welsh Government has been at pains to thank these heroic workers, the very least they could do is offer them this small financial reassurance, as the Scottish Government has already done.
“I dearly hope that no families will need to receive the compensation, but it would be an absolute travesty if the Welsh Government were to deny the grieving families of heroic health workers the compensation they deserve.”
