Mohali, Jan 12 (KNN) Even after taking up the issue of pathetic state of ESI Hospitals in Mohali with Union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya or Union Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan or ESIC Chief, the plea of MSMEs went unheard.

The industrialists in the city are still grappling with the stubborn attitude of negligent ESI Hospitals which out rightly refuses to treat the injured labours and keep referring them from one hospital to another.

Several cases have been pointed by Mohali Industries Association (MIA) in which the Labours were left in pain by the ESI Hospitals.

On January 5, 2017, Dinesh Thakur working with M/s Esspal Sheet Metals Mohali while working on Press Machine met an accident.

“One heavy iron piece   struck lower portion of his right leg and fractured it. He was immediately taken to ESI Hospital Phase-VII Mohali for treatment but he was not treated by doctors present in the hospital, they only referred him to PGI Chandigarh for treatment from where he was again sent to GMH Sec-16 Chandigarh for treatment, where he is getting treatment till date by paying all expenditure on medical treatment from his own pocket,” Jasbir Singh, Chairman, Labour Laws Committee, MIA.  

Singh said “Dinesh Thakur is regularly depositing the ESI contribution from his monthly wages from the date of his appointment hence he and his family are both eligible for free medical treatment under ESIC scheme.”

“Now when he met with an injury while working and required free medical treatment, the ESIC has failed to provide him any help,” Singh said.

Jasbir Singh recalled that in a meeting held on 23rd June 2016 with Union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya, MIA had apprised him about the problems faced by the industry due to ESI Hospitals.

MIA had handed over a memorandum related to recurring problems being faced by employees who are covered under ESI scheme.

Not only to the Labour Minister, MIA has also handed over the memorandum to Union Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan regarding poor facilities being provided at ESI Hospitals/ Dispensaries in and Mohali.

The MIA members also met the Director General of Employee’s State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) in New Delhi on September 21, 2015, in his office to make him aware of the problems of insured persons in Mohali based industries.

“There is no improvement in the working conditions of the ESI Hospital in Mohali so far,” Singh said.

Singh further informed that thousands of Medical Reimbursement Bills of Insured Persons are lying pending with different ESI dispensaries of Mohali and Kharar from the last more than one year.

In number of cases the District Consumer Forum, State Commission and National Consumer Dispute Redressal Commission New Delhi had imposed fine more than Rs.10,00000/- (Ten Lakh Only) on ESI Authorities for deficiency in services in passing the Medical Reimbursement Bills of Insured Persons within the time limit.

Last year, a worker of an MSME industry lost his upper part of a thumb due to no medical treatment provided by the ESIC hospitals and dispensary.

Deepak Kumar was employed at a factory at Chanalon, Kurali. While he was working on a machine in the factory, an iron piece struck his left thumb, which got amputated up to the nail and fell on the floor. The worker’s employer collected the fallen piece of the thumb and immediately took him to the ESI dispensary at Kurali, where no medical staffs were allegedly present during working hours. The worker was referred from one hospital to another.

MIA has been highlighting that the Hospital/Dispensaries in and around Mohali Areas neither have sufficient Doctors and supporting Staff nor have sufficient medicines/ surgery facilities which are the urgent and important requirements of industrial workers.

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)