Major facelift for ESI hospitals soon

HYDERABAD: The Employee State Insurance Corporation (ESI) hospitals in the state would be given the required infrastructure on par with the private hospitals to provide better medical facilities to workers covered under the employees state insurance scheme, labour minister P Babu Mohan said.
The minister, speaking at the two-day ''ESI health scheme -- Partnership summit'' and silver jubilee celebrations of the Insurance Medical Services on Saturday, said that people were turning towards private hospitals as there was dearth of infrastructure in the ESI hospitals.
Babu Mohan asked doctors to render quality services for patients as the hospitals were run with contributions from workers.
ESI hospitals are run with contributions from employers, state and central government funds besides contributions from the employees.
There are 11 hospitals and 136 dispensaries in the state providing medicare to the workers. The hospitals also provide homeopathy and ayurveda treatments.
The minister arrived at the venue over one hour behind schedule. He has repeatedly pleaded with the electronic media, which staged a walkout protesting the delay, to cover the event as it involves the working class.