WE ARE FULLY COMMITTED TO PROVIDE
QUALITY AND SATISFACTORY HEALTH SERVICES TO THE INSURED PERSONS
UNDER ESI SCHEME - DR.
SAHIB SINGH
Minister of Labour,
Dr. Sahib Singh said that we are fully committed to provide quality
and satisfactory health services to the insured persons covered
under ESI Scheme. Dr. Verma was speaking after accepting the report
presented by Shri M.C Verma, Chairman of ESI Review Committee.
He described the report as exhaustive and meanighful with necessary
inputs for improvement. He said that we have at present 80 lakh
insured persons and whereas the actual beneficiaries covered under
the ESI Scheme is over 3,20,00,000. He further said that the Government
had set up Shri M.C Verma Committee to review the functioning
of ESI Scheme, because of the fact that the scheme was not coming
up to the expectations of all stakeholders particularly the insured
persons covered under the scheme. He further emphasised that in
order to provide the quality health services to the beneficiaries,
we are going to open 16 model hospitals in major states of the
country with the total expenditure of Rs.180 crores. The Minister
also added that the report will be studied and then will be considered
by ESIC for implementation of the major recommendations. He also
disclosed that we are bringing a comprehensive bill in the coming
session of the Parliament for proving social security net to 36
crore workers in the unorganised sector. The government is fully
committed to bring this population under health insurance scheme
of ESI.
The ESI Review
Committee was set up in August this year by the Ministry of Labour.
The seven member committee headed by Mr. M.C Verma, IAS (Retd.)
included representatives from employers, employees, medical profession
besides an actuarial expert. Shri M. C Verma also made a visual
presentation before the press, the senior officers of the Ministry
and ESIC.
The main features
of the terms of reference of the Review Committee included; to
study the recommendations of the second National Commission on
Labour pertaining to ESIC; study the present functioning of ESIC
for identifying areas of deficiency and suggest measures for improvements
in quality of service delivery; to redefine the roll of State
Govts. In the delivery of medical services and also identify areas
within the scheme for private/public cooperation for upgradation
of services.
The committee
has made wide ranging recommendations for overall improvement
of services under the ESI scheme and widening the scope of social
security services. The committee has recommended enhancement of
wage ceiling for purpose of coverage from the present Rs.6500/-
to a minimum of Rs.9,000/- for extension of social security cover
to a larger number of workers.
It has also recommended
extension of social protection under the ESI scheme to unorganised
sector and bringing down the threshold of coverage from the present
10 employees to 5 employees or more for coverage of factories
and establishments under the ESI Act, 1948. For upgradation of
medical services under the scheme, the committee has recommended
enhancement of ceiling on expenditure of medical benefit from
the present Rs.600/- to Rs. 850/- per insured person per annum.
The committee
has also opined that Subsidiary Corporations should be set up
in the states for direct flow of funds from ESIC, as well as,
for ensuring functional autonomy at the grassroots level for overall
improvement in medical services. The report also suggests that
the State Govts. and the Central Govt. should each contribute
1/9th of expenditure incurred on medical care of ESI
beneficiaries and any expenditure above the proposed ceiling should
be shared between the State Govts. and the ESIC on a 50:50 basis.
Yet another recommendation
of the committee is that no new ESI hospitals and dispensaries
should be constructed as long as any additional service requirements
could be out-sourced through tie-up arrangements with Government
or private medical institutions or panel clinics. It has also
suggested that the Corporation should concentrate consolidating,
maintaining and upgrading the existing infrastructural network
of ESI hospitals and dispensaries.
The recommendations
of the committee are based on extensive visits to field establishments,
hospitals and dispensaries of the Corporation besides intensive
interaction with important stake holders and interest groups like
employers, insured persons, State Governments and administrators
of the scheme at the grass roots level.
The ESI scheme
today stands implemented at 680 centres in the country and covers
about 310 lakh beneficiaries. Primary and secondary medical care
is provided through a network of 1452 ESI dispensaries, 3000 panel
clinics and 141 ESI hospitals with 27000 beds for in-patient services.
