Mohali, Feb 28 (KNN) Punjab MSMEs have been crying for long due to the sorry state of ESI Hospitals, but now the situation is so bad that the doctors and staffs themselves are admitting that the hospitals have very poor infra and need immediate renovation.

But the concern raised by the MSMEs in the area is that when the labours are not provided proper treatment at the ESI hospitals nor they are reimbursed so easily then why do they need to provide hefty contribution from the wages.

Nearly two lakh poor employees/workers of the area are dependent alone on Mohali ESI hospital.

The 30-bedded ESI hospital in Mohali has an ambulance but no driver; an ultrasound machine, but no radiologist.

According to Jasbir Singh, Chairman, Labour Laws Committee, Mohali Industrials Association, the staffs have themselves admitted that the X-ray machine has also been out of order. Besides, the 28-year-old hospital building needs renovation and repair. An estimated expenditure of Rs 85 lakh was put up to the authorities concerned for the renovation of the building around two years ago. Ours repeated requests and reminders have failed to move the authorities so far.

An article in this regard was even published in a Punjab daily.

In the report, the staff admitted that there is no sanctioned post of a driver here. “The ambulance has been lying dysfunctional for the past several months. Similarly, we have advanced ultrasound machine but it is lying wrapped due to non-availability of a radiologist”, said the staff.

According to a Senior Medical Officer at the hospital, the hospital has an eye specialist but no microscope. “So the eye operations are being conducted at the Civil Hospital at Kharar.

The SMO even claimed that the hospital has at least seven specialists in different fields but no proper infrastructure.

The staffs said that on an average the footfall at the hospital per day is between 500-700 patients, but t due to improper infrastructure, they have to refer the patients to the government hospitals in Chandigarh or other private hospitals that are on their panel.

Jasbir Singh, who is fighting the cases for workers against ESIC, told KNN, “ESIC is a Central Government Corporation, and charging 6.5% of wages of all workers who are drawing wages up to Rs 25000/ month from all factories which are employing 10 or more than 10 workers.”

“In lieu of that ESIC has to provide medical treatment to the insured workers and their families. But ESIC is not providing proper medical facilities to insured persons who are contributing to the ESIC fund every month. Most of the workers have to spent from their own pockets for their medical treatment and have to wait years together for their medical reimbursement,” he said.

A PIL in the High Court was also filed against ESIC, the hearing of which is due this week.

Approximately 1,45,000 insured persons are working in District Mohali and contribution of Rs.121.80 crore (approx.) is contributed by the insured persons to the ESIC every year, MIA highlighted.

The ESI Corporation has contribution income of Rs.10867.14 crore and expenditure of Rs.7510.65 crore. The total expenditure is around 7% of the total contribution income and ESIC has profit of 30% i.e. Rs.3356.49 crore. This has been published in the 2nd Generation Reforms Agenda published by ESI Corporation, pointed MIA.

However, there is no dispensary at Kurali, Gharuan, Sialba Majri, Banmajra and Phase 9 Industrial Area Mohali in District Mohali despite of the fact that large number of workers are working at units situated at these places. Hence the workers have been deprived of primary benefits i.e. medical benefits under ESI Act. (KNN Bureau)