ESI Hospital faces dearth of facilities

Neeraj Bagga

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, September 28

A shortage of facilities at the Employee State Insurance (ESI) Hospital has left the beneficiaries in the lurch. Patients, who visit the hospital expecting quality treatment, are left hassled in the absence of specialists. Medicines also remain out of stock most of the times.

Avtar Singh, an artisan who works with a nut and bolt manufacturing factory at Focal Point, said latest machines for conducting lab tests were unavailable. The hospital has no MD (Physician) for over an year.

A staff member, seeking anonymity, said the ESI Hospital had less than half of the sanctioned strength. Despite being a 125-bed hospital, its occupancy stands at around 40 per cent.

Focal Point Industries Association chairman Kamal Dalmia, in a communiqué to the ESIC Regional Director, said one MD-rank physician, supported by qualified doctors, and medical staff was required at the hospital. “Presently, an MBBS-rank doctor is performing this duty. Similarly, there are no radiologist, oprthopaedic and psychiatrist at the hospital,” the letter read.

There is no facility of ultrasound and CT scan. For these tests, patients are forced to go to private labs. For CT scan, patients are even referred to Jalandhar. Even after getting tests conducted from private labs, the patients get reimbursement at the government rates, which is a loss to the insured persons under the ESI.

The letter further reads that industrialists incur losses as they contribute under medical head while paying salary to their staff as per the norms of the Provident Fund.

ESI Director In-charge PK Narula said, “Health is a state subject. Any shortage of staff and equipment will be brought to the notice of the government.”