DTMT Network

India’s Labor and Employment Minister Bhupendra Yadav informed that it was decided that wherever in-house specialization is not available in ESIC hospitals, patients would be auto-referred to empaneled private medical service providers.

The decision will prove to be convenient for ESI card holders who face difficulties for availing private facilities due to delay in approval from ESI hospitals.

 “Wherever any ESI facility is at a distance of more than 10 kilometers from the IP (Insured Person), patients can directly approach the empaneled hospitals for treatment,” added Yadav at an event after inspecting the proposed 300 bed ESIC hospital in Haridwar, Uttarakhand.

Recalling the contribution of ESIC, Yadav said that during the pandemic the corporation has provided relief to the people by throwing open its facilities for the general public and by announcing COVID-19 relief scheme, where the dependents of the insured person are given 90 per cent of the average wages of the deceased worker for the lifetime.

Yadav said that ESIC has already sanctioned Rs. 297 crore for the proposed 300 bed hospital in Haridwar, this apart from the two hospitals sanctioned in Dehradun and Kashipur.  He said that land for the hospitals at Dehradun and Kashipur would soon be made available.