Source: dailypioneer.com
Bokaro will soon get an Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) Hospital which will offer medicine at subsidised rates and provide out-patient and in-patient facilities at a nominal cost.
Establishment of an ESIC Hospital at Bokaro was a much awaited demand of the locals. Jharkhand Government has finally given its nod to erect the 30-bed hospital, the tender for which will be floated soon, informed an official.
“Over 70,000 workers and their families are associated with ESIC at Bokaro and they are not being able to avail the health benefits under the scheme as ESIC does not have its own hospital at Bokaro,” said SK Verma President of BMS.
“The move may help decongest private and government hospitals in the district. It will also reduce healthcare cost for millions by easing dependence on private-run medical facilities,” he said.
The Government has taken this decision on the initiative of Bermo MLA Yogeshwar Mahato Batul, who raised the issue in state assembly, claimed Ranjan Mahato an MLA supporter and party worker.
Meanwhile, run by labour ministry ESIC has over 150 hospitals and 1,500 dispensaries across the country which are catering to the healthcare need of industrial workers (who are subscribers of the corporation), said an official requesting anonymity.
The hospital will provide the out-patient facility to common people at just Rs 10 per visit, for in-patient treatment, it will charge one-fourth of what CGHS (Central Government Health Scheme) hospitals charges, he informed.
The ESI Act applies to organisations where 10 or more persons are employed and all employees drawing salary up to Rs 21,000.
Under the Act eligible employees contribute 1.75 percent of their salary (basic+ allowances) and employers contribute 4.75 percent to the ESI corpus every month. Now the Government had recently sought an amendment of the Draft Rules concerning ESI contribution. The Gazette Notification dated February, 15, 2019 proposes a reduction in both the employees’ and employers’ ESI contribution towards the scheme which would be 4 percent–for the employers and 1 percent–for employees.
“Recently ESIC has taken a decision to set up one super speciality hospital in each State,” said the official.