Insurance News: MLA for super-specialty facility on hospital land

BJP MLA Madhuri Misal recently said efforts were on to mobilize the state government support for a super-specialty medical facility on the land reserved for Employee State Insurance Corporation’s (ESIC) hospital in Bibvewadi.

“We have already presented a proposal to state labour minister Hasan Mushrif who has consented to hold a meeting to discuss the project,” Misal said at a press conference. Bibvewadi comes under Misal’s constituency.

“Despite adequate land, services provided by ESIC hospital in Bibvewadi have remained largely unutilised. We want the state government to convert it into a super-specialty hospital and make the services open not just to insured workers but also to people in general. Bangalore has a super-specialty ESIC hospital where medical care is availed by insured workers as well as people in general,” Misal said.

With the state-run Sassoon hospital overburdened, one more government hospital is the need of the hour. The ESIC hospital in Aundh was closed in February 2009 and shifted to Mohannagar, Chinchwad and Bibvewadi. The current strength of beneficiaries enrolled for medical care at the hospital is 3,24,613.

“ESIC hospital and its surrounding areas in Bibvewadi is spread over 16.5 acres of land. An acre of land has already been encroached upon and the decision regarding removal of the encroachment is still pending. The hospital does not have hospitalisation facility. Besides, no casualty department and operation theaters are available. Only consultation on out-patient-department (OPD) basis, routine laboratory investigation and X-ray facilities are provided at the hospital,” Misal observed.

Considering the land and space available at the hospital, it can be converted into a super-specialty facility, she added. “At present, the ESIC hospital refers insured workers to private hospitals with which the ESIC has tied up to provide secondary and super-specialty care,” Misal said.

Drawing attention to Bangalore’s ESIC hospital, Misal said, “Though the Bangalore ESIC hospital has certain number of beds for insured beneficiaries, common people also receive medical care there. Why not the same model be replicated at the ESIC’s hospital in Bibvewadi? The hospital has adequate land and space. What we require is mobilisation of political will and genuine efforts to make it a reality. We have already initiated discussion about this.

The state labour minister has showed willingness to come over and discuss the possibility,” Misal said.

Employees’ State Insurance Scheme of India, is a multi-dimensional social security system tailored to provide socio-economic protection to worker population and their dependents covered under the scheme.