Question : NEW ESI HOSPITALS

(a) the total number of Employees State Insurance (ESI) hospitals in the country, State/Union Territory-wise;

(b) whether the Government proposes to establish more ESI Hospitals in the country including Perumbavoor in Kerala and Kuppam in Madhya Pradesh;

(c) if so, the proposed capacity of the proposed hospitals along with the present status of the said projects;

(d) whether a number of posts of doctors and other para-medical staff in various ESI Hospitals in the country are lying vacant and if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor; and

(e) the time by which these vacant posts are likely to be filled up and the steps taken/being taken by the Government in this regard?

MINISTER OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT (SHRI MALLIKARJUN KHARGE)

(a) to (e) A statement is laid on the Table of the House.

STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (e) OF LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 94 TO BE ANSWERED ON 04.03.2013 BY SHRI SULTAN AHMED AND SHRI NAMA NAGESWARA RAO REGARDING NEW ESI HOSPITALS.

(a) Total number of Employees State Insurance (ESI) Hospitals in the country including those run by the State Governments is 151.

(b) The Employees’ State Insurance Corporation has approved setting up of 23 new hospitals in the country. While the proposal for setting of ESI hospital at Perumbavoor in Kerala have been approved in the 159th Meeting of ESI Corporation held on 08.02.2013, no new hospital is proposed to be set-up at Kuppam (Andhra Pradesh).

(c) Details of the 23 new hospitals approved by the ESI Corporation along with proposed capacity and present status is at Annex.-I.

(d) Yes, Madam. There are some vacancies of doctors & paramedical staff in ESI Hospitals in the country. The details of such vacancies in State run ESI Hospitals and those directly run by ESI Corporation are at Annex.II and III respectively.

The vacancy of doctors and other paramedical staff is due to frequent turnover of medical manpower, non-availability of technical staff & non filling up of vacancies by State Governments, etc.

(e) Filling up of vacancies is an on-going process. Steps taken by ESI Corporation for filling up of these vacancies are as under.

A. Hospitals run by State Governments

The vacancies in State-run ESI Hospitals are to be filled up by the State Governments themselves. To encourage State Governments to fill up posts of doctors, following steps have been taken:

1. ESIC has increased the ceiling on reimbursement of expenditure on medical care from Rs.1200/- to Rs.1500/- per Insured Person (IP) family unit per annum with effect from 01.04.2012. In addition, Rs. 200/- per IP family unit per annum is also available to the State Government, if the bed occupancy of the hospitals in the State is more than 70% during the last completed year.

2.To overcome shortage of specialists/super-specialists in State ESI hospitals, the ESI Corporation is appointing part-time Specialists/ Super-Specialists directly, till State Governments make regular appointments.

B. Hospitals run by ESI Corporation directly:

During the year 2009-2010, 2010-2011, 2011-2012 and 2012-2013, the ESI Corporation has issued offer of appointments to 1777 Doctors.