CHENNAI: All 214 dispensaries run by Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) in Tamil Nadu will be converted into six-bed hospitals, Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment Bandaru Dattatreya said on Monday.
Speaking to the media after inspecting the ESI hospital at KK Nagar, he said dialysis, MRI and CT scan facilities would be set up at all the ESI hospitals across the country, for which the patients now are referred to other hospitals.
“Most of the ESIC hospitals will be developed into super specialty hospitals depending on the availability of the space. Indian medicine will also be encouraged in these hospitals,” he added.
“In line with the Swacch Bharat initiative, we are going to provide ESIC hospitals seven different colour bed spreads for seven days of the week under an initiative called ‘Indradhanush’ (rainbow), which will help keep the beds clean,” he added.
As many as 40 crore unorganised workers would be enrolled under the ESIC scheme in a phased manner. Anganwadi workers, mid-day meal workers and ASHA workers also would be covered under this programme. This, the minister added, would help them avail treatment. The labour ministry has asked all states to register workers in the unorganised sector, he said, adding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would launch a smart card scheme in the first week of January.
These cards would be provided to over 40 crore un-organised workers. The Union Government is in the process of simplification of 44 central labour laws, he added.
These laws would be made into four simple labour codes in the areas of wages, industrial relations, social security and working conditions to strengthen safety and social security of workers. This would ensure there was transparency.