A dialysis unit for insured employees and their families has been inaugurated and dedicated at ESI Hospital in Bhubaneswar today.
Minister of State for Labour and Employees’ Insurance, Forest, Environment and Climate Change, Ganesh Ram SingKhuntia inaugurated it and said that today is a moment of joy for all of us. With the inauguration of this dialysis unit, insured employees and their family members will be able to get dialysis treatment free of cost. In the current context of high incidence of kidney, heart diseases etc., this facility will be really beneficial. They can also be referred from all the hospitals under Bhubaneswar zone and get free treatment here. This free dialysis service has started for the first time at ESI Hospital in Bhubaneswar and Minister Shri SingKhuntia directed the departmental officers to take all possible steps to ensure that this service is available to all insured employees.
Minister Shri SingKhuntia further said that for this, agreements have been made with 12 secondary care and 12 tertiary care units free of cost under the Employees’ State Insurance Scheme. This dialysis service will also be operational at Choudwar ESI Hospital very soon. A super specialty outdoor is also going to be started at Bhubaneswar ESI Hospital soon. Apart from this, there is a proposal to open 5 more new ESI hospitals in the state, Minister said.
Principal Secretary, Labour & ESI dept., Mrs. Chitra Arumugam, was present as the guest of honour. She expressed that Employees’ State Insurance Scheme has been implemented in the state since 196. Medical care and facilities are being provided to about 10 lakh insured employees through 4 ESI hospitals and 53 ESI dispensaries in our state. Employees’ State Insurance Scheme is a multi-faceted health insurance and social security scheme, under which social security is provided to labour force as well as employees working in the organized sector. The insured employees and their dependent family members also get this facility. The main objective of the Employees’ State Insurance Scheme is to provide complete medical services to the beneficiaries. She expressed that the state government is committed to providing all medical facilities to the insured employees without any hindrance.
Among others, Labour Commissioner Shri Indramani Tripathi, Employees State Insurance Director Shri Ashok Kumar Panda, Additional Secretary, Labour & ESI dept. Shri Rajesh Agarwal and Chairman, Bhubaneswar ESI Hospital Dr. Srikant Debata and doctors were present and made the program a success.
Later, various problems of ESI hospitals were discussed in the conference room of the hospital and representatives of various labour unions met the Labour Minister and drew his attention to the problems and difficulties faced by the workers.
