Haryana plans statewide ESI cashless network at private hospitals

Hospitals will be selected after inspections and quality checks, with treatment offered at CGHS rates for surgeries, diagnostics and specialist care.

Haryana’s Health Department is planning to expand its tertiary care network by empanelling private hospitals in all 22 districts under the Employees’ State Insurance (ESI) scheme, creating a statewide network of ESI-registered healthcare providers for cashless treatment, officials said on Sunday.

Officials said the expanded network, expected to be rolled out in the coming months, will extend cashless admission, emergency care, surgeries, diagnostics and specialist consultations to ESI beneficiaries across the state at Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) package rates. A similar system is already operational at three hospitals in Gurugram and Faridabad.

According to officials, hospitals will be selected after quality assurance checks, compliance verification and inspections. “Haryana’s ESI Health Care had issued an expression of interest (EOI) tender on July 10, following which several private hospitals in the state’s national capital region (NCR) districts came forward to apply for a two-year empanelment agreement. These hospitals will provide treatment for common illnesses, routine and emergency surgeries,” a senior health department official said, requesting anonymity.

Officials said hospitals seeking single- or multi-speciality empanelment must be licensed bedded facilities with specialists, an intensive care unit and 24-hour emergency services. The network will also cover X-ray, ECG, ultrasound, orthopaedic implants, joint surgeries, pregnancy care, cesarean procedures, paediatrics, ENT and eye-related treatments for ESI beneficiaries and their families.

The Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) had issued a circular on January 28 to expand cashless superspeciality tertiary care in Haryana. “Around seven hospitals in Rohtak, six each in Jhajjar and Panipat, five in Ambala, and four in Hisar, have since been given approvals. The department is expected to fast-track the pending approvals,” another senior official said.

Apart from three direct ESIC hospitals, Haryana has 61 empanelled dispensaries, including four in Gurugram, for purchasing medicines at CGHS rates. Officials said hospitals can apply for empanelment until August 10, but non-compliance with tender conditions, including prescribing unnecessary drugs or tests or denying treatment, could result in de-empanelment or blacklisting.