Gandhinagar, Aug 13 (IANS) Workers covered under the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) in Gujarat and their dependent family members will have access to tertiary and super-speciality treatment at six more healthcare institutions under newly signed agreements, as the state government moves to expand specialised medical care under the workers’ health insurance network.
The Labour and Employment Department and ESIC-Gujarat signed MoUs with the six institutions in Gandhinagar on Thursday in the presence of Labour and Employment Minister Kunvarji Bavaliya.
The agreements are intended to provide insured workers and their dependent beneficiaries with access to treatment for serious illnesses and emergencies, with expenditure covered under the scheme without a prescribed financial ceiling, subject to ESIC rules and eligibility.
The six institutions are Shrimad Rajchandra Hospital and Research Centre in Dharampur, Valsad; Shrimad Rajchandra Sarvamangal Hospital and C. U. Shah Medical College in Surendranagar; Shri Giriraj Hospital, a unit of Shri Giriraj Lifecare Private Limited, in Rajkot; Gokul Lifecare Private Limited in Rajkot; N. M. Virani Wockhardt Hospital Limited; and Dr Bhatt Pathology Laboratory in Rajkot. Bavaliya said the health of workers was central to both economic activity and nation-building.
“Healthy workers are the foundation of a strong economy and nation-building,” he said, adding that the initiative would provide workers and their families with easier access to quality healthcare while reducing the financial burden associated with serious medical treatment.
He said ESIC-registered workers and their families would be able to avail themselves of treatment at super-speciality hospitals according to their healthcare requirements.
The minister also urged hospital administrators, doctors, pathologists and officials to give priority to the welfare of workers and provide treatment with the same sensitivity and care they would extend to a family member.
Bavaliya further directed officials to ensure that ESIC funds were used appropriately and solely for the benefit of workers, with safeguards against misuse at any level.
Joint Secretary of the Labour, Skill Development and Employment Department, Tejas Soni, said the state government was working towards the socio-economic welfare of more than 1.25 crore workers across the organised, unorganised and agricultural sectors.
“Gujarat had undertaken several worker-centric initiatives, and the new agreements would strengthen the ESIC healthcare network across the state,” he said.
ESIC Gujarat Regional Director Hemantkumar Pandey said the organisation was working to expand its network of tertiary and super-speciality healthcare services.
With six agreements, ESIC Gujarat has signed 32 MoUs with healthcare institutions, including 26 agreements signed earlier covering 13 government hospitals and healthcare institutions.
The existing network includes institutions such as the U. N. Mehta Institute of Cardiology and Research Centre, GMERS hospitals, the Gujarat Cancer and Research Institute (GCRI), the Institute of Kidney Diseases and Research Centre and AIIMS Rajkot.
The expansion comes as Gujarat’s ESIC healthcare network continues to grow. The state currently has ESIC hospitals at Bapunagar, Ankleshwar, Naroda and Vapi, according to ESIC records.
The 220-bed ESIC Hospital in Surat was also inaugurated in June this year and is expected to serve around 3.20 lakh insured persons and 12.16 lakh beneficiaries in the region.
The state government said the process of signing MoUs with another 45 hospitals and healthcare institutions across Gujarat was under way.
Once completed, the agreements are expected to further increase the availability of specialised treatment for ESIC beneficiaries in different parts of the state.
ESIC State Medical Officer Vijay Dhanak, along with ESIC officials, representatives of empanelled healthcare institutions, doctors, pathologists and hospital administrators, attended the MoU exchange ceremony.
–IANS
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