Union Minister Jual reiterates demand for ESIC MCH at Odisha's Rourkela
ROURKELA: Union Tribal Affairs minister and Sundargarh MP Jual Oram has reiterated his demand for establishment of an Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) Medical College and Hospital (MCH) in Rourkela.
The renewed demand comes after the Union Ministry of Labour and Employment recently gave in-principle approval for setting up 10 new ESIC MCHs across India.
In a letter on May 7 to Union Labour and Employment minister Mansukh Mandaviya, Oram stressed the urgent need for an ESIC hospital in Rourkela, particularly to address the lack of quality healthcare in rural and remote areas. “Rural and remote regions face significant challenges in accessing quality healthcare, resulting in adverse health outcomes,” he wrote.
Highlighting Rourkela’s strategic location in the northwestern part of Odisha and its status as the state’s industrial hub, especially in steel production, Oram argued that the city is ideally positioned for such a facility. He noted that nearly three lakh ESIC card-holders reside in and around Rourkela, and an MCH would significantly enhance access to super-specialty healthcare for them and the larger population in the surrounding districts.
Oram also pointed out that Rourkela currently lacks healthcare services of super-specialty and multi-specialty standards, making it a suitable candidate for the proposed ESIC institution. He had made similar demands on multiple occasions in the past.
Meanwhile, RN Pali MLA and BJP leader Durga Charan Tanti has also written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, reiterating the demand for the ESIC MCH in Rourkela. In his letter dated April 30, he endorsed the ongoing efforts and representations made by various local organisations.
The Sachetan Nagarik Sangh (SNM), a local citizen group, has also urged the Union Labour and Employment minister to establish the ESIC MCH and an Occupational Disease Centre in Rourkela. The group cited examples from states like Bihar and Karnataka, where ESIC MCHs provide healthcare on par with AIIMS standards to both insured persons and the general population.