HYDERABAD: Following a TNIE report on November 17 that several ESI dispensaries in the city were found closed on Sunday despite officially mandated seven-day operational hours, State Medical Officer (ESIC) Dr Anita Chaduvula issued a directive on December 5 to the directors of Insurance Medical Services (IMS) in Hyderabad and Warangal to ensure that all ESIC dispensaries function in double shifts every day as per the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).
According to the letter, under the ESIC/ESISI-2025 SOP, double-shift dispensaries must remain open for 12 hours — from 7 am to 7.30 pm — while single-shift dispensaries should operate for six hours, preferably from 8 am to 2 pm. The letter also emphasised that laboratory timings must align with OPD hours to prevent inconvenience to patients.
The state medical officer further instructed that all ESI dispensaries strictly comply with the ESIC headquarters’ SOP. Additionally, the directors have been asked to submit a report on working hours along with details of single and double-shift facilities and their respective timings, and to file an Action Taken Report (ATR) within seven days.