(a) whether the conditions of the Employees State Insurance (ESI) Hospitals in the country are far from satisfactory;
(b) if so, the details thereof;
(c) the schemes formulated by the Government to improve the condition of the said hospitals; and
(d) the amount likely to be allocated for implementation of the improvement schemes during the current financial year?
MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
(SHRI OSCAR FERNANDES)
(a) to (d): A statement is laid on the Table of the House.
STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (d) OF THE LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO.163 FOR 04.12.2006 REGARDING `CONDITION OF ESI HOSPITALS`
(a) to (d): The condition of ESI Hospitals and their working in the country is generally satisfactory. The ESI Corporation has formulated various schemes to improve the condition of the ESI hospitals as detailed below:
# 123 ESI Hospitals are being run by the State Governments as per Section 58 of the ESI Act, 1948; 17 hospitals as Model Hospitals, 03 hospitals in Delhi and 01 hospital in Chandigarh are directly run by the ESI Corporation.
# Modernization & upgradation of hospitals is done by providing modern equipments for diagnostic and clinical services. Senior State Medical Commissioners / State Medical Commissioners have been delegated powers to facilitate early sanction of equipments for hospitals up to Rs.15 lacs per unit at the State level itself.
# ESI Corporation has increased the ceiling for providing medical care from Rs.750/- to Rs.900/- per Insured Person family unit per annum w.e.f. 01.04.2005 to facilitate State Governments with more funds to improve medical services in ESI Hospitals.
# Apart from this, ESI Corporation is incurring total expenditure on construction / repair and maintenance of hospital buildings at its own cost. Further there is sharing of expenditure on equipments costing above Rs.25000/- per unit between the State Government and ESIC outside the ceiling of Rs. 900/- per I.P. per annum.
# ESI Corporation has introduced the Scheme of Revolving Fund for providing advance / reimbursement for super speciality / speciality treatment, purchase of drugs and dressings and repair & maintenance of equipments.
# Tie up arrangements have been made with other reputed Govt. / non-government hospitals for providing super speciality / speciality services which are not available in ESI Hospitals.
# ESI Corporation is in the process of getting hospitals graded by professional agencies and obtaining ISO 9001-2000 certification. One ESI Hospital in Delhi has already been granted ISO certification.
# ESI Corporation is encouraging computerization and incurs all expenditure on provision of computers to ESI Hospitals.
# ESI Corporation has allotted a budget of Rs.1042.71 crores during 2006-07 to provide medical services.