Bhubaneswar: The Centre has decided to set up a 100-bed ESIC hospital in Odisha’s industrial district Jharsuguda by the end of this year.
As per the decision taken at a meeting of the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) presided by Union Labour and Employment Minister Bhupender Yadav in New Delhi on Sunday, 23 new 100-bed ESIC hospitals would be opened across the country before the year-end. These hospitals include 6 in Maharashtra, 4 in Haryana, 2 each in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh.
Besides, Nellore in Andhra Pradesh, Mulgaon in Goa, Sanand in Gujarat, Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh, Jharsuguda in Odisha and Kharagpur in West Bengal will have one ESIC hospital each, according to a Ministry release.
Apart from these hospitals, dispensaries will also be opened at 62 places. These include 48 dispensaries in Maharashtra, 12 in Delhi and 2 in Haryana.
It was also decided to implement health insurance scheme, Employees’ State Insurance (ESI), throughout the country by the end of 2022. Presently, the ESI scheme is implemented in 443 districts and partially in 153 districts. Total 148 districts are not covered under the scheme.
It may be noted that Yadav and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had inaugurated a 100-bed ESIC hospital in Angul and ESIC office at Jharsuguda on June 15.
Pradhan had urged the Centre to set up an ESIC hospital in Jharsuguda that will benefit its members in western Odisha. At present, there are over 30 small and large industries in Jharsuguda, Sambalpur and Sundargarh districts.
