Mohali, June 16 (KNN) The micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Mohali region, who have been consistently raising the issue of shortage of medicines in the ESIC hospitals, have expressed shock over the news of the medicines from ESIC dispensary being sold at private chemist shops.

Earlier this week, complain again ESIC Hospital was made by one Hari Chand who bought the out of stock medicine from a private chemist shop at a cost of Rs 657. The medicine, which was not available at ESIC dispensary since last four months, carried the ESI supply stamp clearly mentioning “Not for Sale”.

Jasbir Singh, Chairman, Labour Laws Committee, Mohali Industries Association (MIA), told KNN that “Hari Singh had the bill of private chemist shop with name and address of shop, who sold the medicine to him and medicine having ESI supply stamp not for sale. The poor worker purchased it for Rs.657 and that bill of medicine will be reimbursed to him after two years of struggle. ESIC here is playing with the lives of poor workers.”

The newspapers in Punjab carried the entire report on how the drug named Urimax D, Batch 60737, was not available at the dispensary for last four months.

When the matter came into the knowledge of ESIC hospital authority, they started investigating the matter.

When Hari Singh’s complaint reached the ESIC officials, they found it’s a nexus working within the dispensary involved in sale of made for ESIC at the private chemist shops.

Reacting to this, Jasbir Singh said, “We are shocked to see the news of how the medicine meant for insured persons covered under ESIC scheme are being sold in open market just 100 metres away from the ESIC dispensary. The issue has been raised again and again by MIA with the ESIC Authority from last many years that there is always shortage of medicines in the ESIC hospitals and dispensaries in spite of collecting huge contributions from the insured persons every month.”

Singh said the reason for shortage of medicines is that staffs with ESIC hospitals sold the stocks of medicines to private shops and doctors used to prescribe same medicines to insured persons and also advised them to purchase them from open market.

The workers, after purchasing the medicines from private shops, have to wait for years for reimbursements.

“In this way ESIC is cheating with the poor workers. It is a matter of investigation by CBI and not by ESIC authorities,” Singh said. (KNN Bureau)