Mohali, Nov 5 (KNN) The ESIC hospitals in and around Mohali are in such a sorry state that a worker employed in a MSME unit had to loose upper part of his thumb while struggling to get treatment in the hospital.

This is not the first case which has been pointed by the MSME entrepreneurs in the region. Time and again they have been bringing out the issue of poor state of ESIC hospitals which totally lacks infrastructure and has minimal medical facilities.

The Mohali Industries Association (MIA) has even filed a PIL in the Punjab And Haryana High Court against ESIC regarding poor facilities being provided to Insured Persons in ESI Hospitals / Dispensaries in an around Mohali.

Jabsir Singh, Chairman, Labour Laws Committee of the Mohali Industries Association, told KNN that 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.

The industrialists have demanded a compensation of Rs 5 lakh from the ESIC authorities for allegedly failing to give Deepak Kumar, a worker, timely treatment, due to which he lost his thumb part.

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 employer then took him to the Civil Hospital, Kurali, from where he was referred to the ESIC Hospital, Mohali. After that he was referred to the ESIC Hospital, Chandigarh, which, in turn, referred him to the GMCH-32, Chandigarh.

According to the notice sent, the ESI dispensary/hospitals concerned did not provide first-aid to the worker or an ambulance to shift him to the GMCH-32.

The notice said treatment was given to Deepak Kumar at the GMCH-32. The doctors attending on him said his thumb could had been stitched back if he had come earlier to the hospital.

According to the notice, the incident happened at 1.45 pm and the patient allegedly reached the GMCH at 5.30 pm. The notice said the ESI medical institutions concerned had failed to save the worker’s thumb and made him disabled for life.

Deepak Kumar has sent a legal notice to ESIC hospital through Jasbir Singh, his lawyer and chairman, Labour Laws Committee of the Mohali Industries Association.

The notice has been sent to the Director-General as well as the Senior State Medical Commissioner of the Employees State Insurance Corporation,  besides the Deputy Director (Administration),  ESIC Hospital, Ram Darbar, Chandigarh, the SMO, ESIC Hospital, Mohali, and the Medical Officer, ESIC Hospital, Kurali.

The PIL filed by MIA said that the ESI Hospital in Mohali is ill-equipped and is unable to cater to the medical needs of the employees who are insured under ESI.

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)