16 ESI dispensaries to come up in State up by Dec 15

Vijayawada: Minister for Labour and Employment Pithani Satyanarayana announced here on Wednesday that 16 dispensaries for the Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) would be established in the state by December 15.

He was holding a review meeting at the Secretariat on Wednesday with the officials to discuss on the action to be taken to establish new dispensaries and repairs to be undertaken to the existing hospitals. 

The minister instructed the officials to take initiative to establish the new dispensaries immediately. He said that the Central government had agreed in principle to establish four more ESI hospitals in the State.

Satyanarayana enquired with the officials regarding the repairs to be undertaken to the 12 dispensaries and three hospitals. The officials informed the minister that funds for the annual repairs were ready with the government.

They were instructed to undertake annual repairs immediately by calling tenders. The minister said that he would take up the matter with the Centre to sanction funds for undertaking special repairs. He instructed the officials to prepare the estimates to undertake special repairs to the ESI hospitals at Visakhapatnam and Rajahmundry by October 31 and estimates for Vijayawada ESI hospital by November 10.

The minister instructed the officials to arrange temporary sheds on the hospital premises till the repairs were completed to shift the patients.  The minister instructed the Special Chief Secretary JSV Prasad to write letters to the district collectors to allot land for the 16 dispensaries.

However, the dispensaries could be started in rented premises till the construction of the buildings are over, he added. He instructed the joint directors Ravi Kumar, Jagadeep Gandhi and Chandrasekhar to search for suitable buildings to start dispensaries. IMS director Vijay Kumar, ESIC Regional Director Ramakoti and other officials were present.