HC to hear PIL on inadequate facilities at ESIC hospital filed by Mohali MSMEs

New Delhi, Apr 17 (KNN) The Punjab-Chandigarh High Court has admitted the PIL filed against the inadequacies at the Employee State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) hospitals leading to harassment of MSME workers. The court will hear the plea on 5^th May.

The PIL is filed in line with the series of problems the insured workers have been facing in the region.

In the petition, the association has claimed that the corporation has made provision for cashless treatment from super-speciality hospitals. The insured workers according to the scheme are not supposed to pay advance from their pockets. But the fact is that in a large number of cases, the insured workers have to pay for the treatment and then apply for reimbursements from the corporation and it takes years to get it reimbursed.

Talking to KNN Jasbir Singh from Mohali Industries Association (MIA) said “We are compelled to file the PIL as all our requests and complaints failed. We have approached the senior officials at ESIC, Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya, Union Minister Dr. Harsh vardhan, since all these visits went in vain, we have knocked the doors of the court”

Singh further explained the gravity of the situation. “It is a matter of great concern that the ESIC collects the insurance amount from over 2 lakh workers in Mohali that equates to almost Rs 10 crore per month, but when it comes to the delivery of services, each time we have to approach court and file a case” said Jasbir.

The ESIC have been accused of poor medical services. In February 2017, Rama Shankar claimed that he had to approach a private hospital to save his eye as the concerned doctor at ESIC hospital was on leave. Earlier this month another MSME worker was denied insurance support to get his heart surgery done.

MIA demands include necessary steps to be taken in order to provide complete benefits to the insured workers by creating alternative insurance scheme. (KNN/ DA)