1.39 crore ESIC beneficiariesin state: official

Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) Medical Commissioner Dr P L Chaudhari on Wednesday said the ESIC hospitals in the state are providing medical facilities to 1.39 crore beneficiaries.

Speaking at the inaugural ceremony of renovated ESIC hospital on KRS Road here, Chaudhari said, the ESI scheme was implemented in July 1958, covering about 48,000 employees in Bengaluru. Now, the scheme has been extended across the state covering more than 34.96 lakh employees working in about 95,159 factories or establishments, thereby catering to the needs of more than 1.39 crore beneficiaries.

The ESI Corporation has one regional office, six sub-regional offices, and 44 branch offices and one dispensary-cum-branch office across the state. While the ESI Corporation is running three hospitals in the state to provide medical benefits, the Government of Karnataka is running seven hospitals, 112 dispensaries under the ESI scheme (Medical Services).

Apart from this, ESIC is having a tie-up with reputed private hospitals and diagnostic centres for providing super specialty treatment to the beneficiaries. ESIC is also running two medical colleges in Bengaluru and Kalaburagi, having an intake capacity of 100 seats in Under Graduate (MBBS) course, with 48% of the seats reserved for wards of ESI registered employees (insured persons).

ESI Medical College, Rajajinagar, Bengaluru is also a Post Graduate Education centre. ESIC has two nursing colleges, one at Indiranagar, Bengaluru and the other at Kalaburagi. Dental College is also being run by ESIC at Kalaburagi. The ESI Act was implemented in Hubballi and the number of insured persons in Hubballi is 1,38,120, the Commissioner said.

The employees drawing wages up to Rs 21,000, a month are entitled to health insurance cover and other benefits, under the ESI Act.

The Act now applies to over 10.33 lakh factories and establishments across the country, benefiting about 3.43 crore families.