Date:11/05/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/05/11/stories/2007051120330400.htm

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

ESI plans 50-bed hospital in Jeedimetla

Special Correspondent

The ESI presently runs 11 hospitals in the State

There are 134 dispensaries with OP services

HYDERABAD: The Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) has decided to construct a 50-bedded hospital at Jeedimetla industrial area in the city to cater to over 80,000 workers and their employees residing there.

Proposals have already been sent to the Government to improve the health care facility at Jeedimetla, which is considered as one of the largest industrial area in the country, according to Director of Insurance Medical Services (AP) G.V.V.S.K. Bhushanam. "The ESI presently runs a diagnostics centre, where over 1,500 patients turn up every day," she said on Thursday.

The ESI presently runs 11 hospitals in the State, including three in the city and rest in Warangal, Vijayawada, Rajahmundry, Visakhapatnam, Tirupati, Sirpur Kagaznagar, Adoni and Nizamabad. These apart there were 134 dispensaries with full-fledged outpatient services, she added. All these were catering to over seven lakh ESI cardholders.

Plans were afoot to set up 65 more ESI dispensaries in a phased manner in the State. At present, there were 65 panel clinics. Efforts were on to increase the bed strength in the existing hospitals. The bed strength in Sanatnagar Hospital had been increased from 335 to 500. A sum of Rs. 10.25 crore had been sanctioned for the Sanatnagar ESI Hospital to improve healthcare facilities. With regard to staff recruitment, Dr. Bhushanam said the APPSC had undertaken recruitment of 170 doctors for various ESI hospitals and dispensaries. There were 4,000 personnel working in the ESI, including 650 doctors.

Fresh report

Labour Minister G. Vinod said the State Government had strongly put forward its demand that the ESI super speciality hospital should come up only in Sanathnagar. He said a committee had recently given its report that the super speciality hospital in Hyderabad was not viable.

"We have impressed upon the Union Labour Minister that such a facility is required for the city which has a large presence of workers and their families," he added.

Senior officials of ESI had been directed to prepare a fresh report by June 15, he added.