The All India employees’ state insurance corporation, employees’ federation (AIESICEF) has decided to build two federation-run hospitals with full-fledged facilities at Pune and Kolhapur. The move comes after the demand for a hospital for industrial workers fell on deaf ears.
Thus, the All India employees’ state insurance corporation, employees’ federation took matters into its own hands.
For the last 15 years, the federation has had a poorly-equipped medical setup at Bibvewadi.
Dr Sunil Zode, medical superintendent of the Employees State Insurance Corporation hospital in Bibvewadi, said the existing facility has an out-patient department (OPD) and a dispensary, but no admission facilities.
While Pune will have a 500-bed multi-specialty hospital for industrial workers and others, Kolhapur too will get a 200-bed multi-specialty hospital.
With this, Pune and Kolhapur will get their first ESIC (Employees State Insurance Corporation) run hospital with full-fledged facilities in the premises of the existing facility.
The federation is now hopeful that with the central funding, the hospital will be able to cater to many workers and beneficiaries covered under the ESI (employee state insurance) scheme.
Vijayrao Tate, vice-president, All India employees’ state insurance corporation employees’ federation (AIESICEF) said, “The set-ups were already there in Pune and Kolhapur. They were lying idle. The land was provided to the state government as health is a state issue. However, even after providing land and other facilities, the state government failed to cater to our needs and we were forced to have tie-ups with private hospitals. So far, we have a tie-up with around 200 private hospitals across the state.”
{{/usCountry}}Vijayrao Tate, vice-president, All India employees’ state insurance corporation employees’ federation (AIESICEF) said, “The set-ups were already there in Pune and Kolhapur. They were lying idle. The land was provided to the state government as health is a state issue. However, even after providing land and other facilities, the state government failed to cater to our needs and we were forced to have tie-ups with private hospitals. So far, we have a tie-up with around 200 private hospitals across the state.”
{{/usCountry}}Maharashtra has around 50 lakh workers and two crore beneficiaries under the ESI scheme.
Tate said it has been 15 years that the state government had failed to provide the much-needed facility and staff due to which it will now construct its own hospital for the workers.
According to Tate, grants are already available for completing the renovation and recruitment process by early next year.
Sanjay SInha, additional commissioner and regional head, ESIC, Maharashtra, said, “Earlier the proposal was for constructing a 50-bed hospital in Pune, but the employees federation demanded to increase the beds from 50 to 100, and now 500.”