Centre approves 3 New ESIC Hospitals in Punjab
Chandigarh: To strengthen healthcare services for insured employees and their families in Punjab, the Central Government has given in-principle approval for the establishment of three new 'Employees' State Insurance Corporation' (ESIC) hospitals in Lalru, Rajpura and Malerkotla.
Minister of State for Labour and Employment Shobha Karandlaje provided the information in Parliament on Monday in response to a question raised by Gurdaspur MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa.
According to the HT news report, the Minister stated that medical services are currently being provided to ESIC beneficiaries in Punjab through the ESIC Medical College and Hospital (Ludhiana), ESIC Hospital (Ram Darbar, Chandigarh), six state-run ESI hospitals (in Mohali, Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Amritsar, Mandi Gobindgarh, and Phagwara), 69 state-run ESI dispensaries, and three ESIC dispensary-cum-branch offices (in Rajpura, Barnala, and Ferozepur).
Addressing concerns regarding the shortage of doctors, paramedical staff, medicines, and diagnostic facilities, the Ministry said that recruitment in the ESIC is a continuous process.
It was informed that appointment letters have recently been issued to 388 Insurance Medical Officers (Grade II), 234 Assistant Professors, 1,577 Nursing Officers, and 472 additional Nursing Officers. Recruitment for 1,827 paramedical posts has also been completed.
It further stated that prompt action is taken on complaints and representations received from ESIC beneficiaries by coordinating with hospitals and dispensaries.
ESIC regularly follows up with state governments to ensure the speedy settlement of pending reimbursement claims for emergency treatment undergone outside the ESI network.
ESIC has included 139 private tertiary-care hospitals and nine government medical colleges and hospitals in its list. This will enable beneficiaries to avail of cashless treatment when necessary facilities are unavailable at ESI institutions.
Currently, approximately 11.73 lakh employees in Punjab are covered under the 'Employees' State Insurance' (ESI) scheme, and the total number of beneficiaries, including their dependents, exceeds 53.75 lakh.
