Ludhiana, Jan 17 (KNN) After half a decade of raising unaddressed concerns regarding pathetic state of ESIC hospitals in the region, a team of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) from Mohali region in Punjab along with a local councilor made a surprise visit at the local ESI Hospital  Phase VII Industrial Area.
 
Much to their surprise, it was out that out of 18 patients admitted on books in the hospital only 4 patients were physically found admitted in the ESI hospital.
 
Talking to KNN India, Jasbir Singh, Advocate & Chairman Labour Law Committee, MIA, said There is acute shortage of drinking water in the hospital for the past one month resulting into severe inconvenience to the patients.
 
“ESI Hospitals are catering to medical needs of lakhs of industrial workers however, the ESI Hospital Phase VII Mohali has failed to provide medical services to the Insured persons of Mohali area which is causing great inconvenience to the workers covered under the ESI Scheme in getting medical services,” he said.

 
The visiting team members alleged that there is a fraud going on the in the hospital by showing dummy in-patients.

 
“This came to light on the night of Wednesday 15th January, 2020 when the team of Industrialists and Councilor S.Satbir Singh Dhanoa made a surprise check of the ESI hospital and found that there are only 4 patients present while in the records 18 patients are shown admitted. When the Councillor asked the staff about the missing 14 patients the staff failed to give any satisfactory reply,” a member of the visiting team said .
 
 
At the time of checking the team saw that there is no doctor available in the hospital. The Councillor contacted the SMO, Darshan Singh, over phone about the dummy admissions and irregularities going on in the hospital to which the SMO failed to provide any satisfactory explanation/ reply, he added.
 
The team of industrialists who visited along with the Councilor were – A Chaudhary, V.K.Singh, Baljit Singh and Advocate Jasbir Singh, Chairman Labour Laws Committee.
 
Jasbir Singh said that the MIA has been time and again raising these serious issues with all the concerned departments and officials. They have also been highlighting the lack of facilities in the ESI Hospital Phase VII Mohali since the last several years but nothing much has been done in this regard.

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