ESI scheme to be implemented in entire country by 2022 end: Govt

Presently, ESI scheme is fully implemented in 443 districts and partially implemented in 153 districts, whereas 148 districts are not covered under ESI scheme

New Delhi: The employee state insurance (ESI) scheme will be implemented in the entire country by the end of 2022, the Union government announced on Sunday.

The decision was taken by the ESI Corporation in its 188th meeting chaired by Union labour minister Bhupender Yadav on Sunday. (PTI)

“Presently, ESI scheme is fully implemented in 443 districts and partially implemented in 153 districts, whereas 148 districts are not covered under ESI scheme. By the end of 2022, the partially implemented and non-implemented districts across the country will be fully covered,” the ministry of labour and employment said in a release.

The decision was taken by the ESI Corporation in its 188th meeting chaired by Union labour minister Bhupender Yadav on Sunday.

The medical care services will be provided through establishing new dispensary cum branch offices (DCBOs), by tying up hospitals of Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY).

“ESI Corporation has decided to set up 23 new 100-bedded hospitals across the country,” the release said.

Of the 23 hospitals, ESIC will set up six hospitals in Maharashtra at Palghar, Satara, Pen, Jalgaon, Chakan and Panvel; four in Haryana at Hisar, Sonepat, Ambala and Rohtak; two each in Tamil Nadu (at Chengalpattu and Erode), Uttar Pradesh (Moradabad and Gorakhpur) and Karnataka (Tumkur and Udupi); one ESI hospital each in Andhra Pradesh (Nellore), Chhattisgarh (Bilaspur), Goa (Mulgao), Gujarat (Sanand), Madhya Pradesh (Jabalpur), Odisha (Jharsuguda) and West Bengal (Kharagpur).

Besides these hospitals, five doctors’ dispensaries at 62 places will also be opened — 48 in Maharashtra, 12 in Delhi and two in Haryana, the ministry said.

“These hospitals and dispensaries will ensure the delivery of quality medical care service to the insured workers and their dependents in the close vicinity of their residence and will also enhance clientele satisfaction,” the release added.

To fulfil the growing need for skilled manpower in health care sectors and narrow the existing gap between the demand and supply of skilled manpower, ESIC will start certificate courses in 10 disciplines in three of its medical colleges at Faridabad, Sanathnagar (Hyderabad) and KK Nagar (Chennai) for healthcare link workers, as a pilot project, the government said.

ESIC is augmenting its infrastructure by setting-up new hospitals and upgrading the existing ones, officials familiar with the development said.