Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: Workers covered under the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) in Gujarat and their dependent family members will have access to tertiary and super-speciality treatment at six more healthcare institutions under newly signed agreements, as the state government moves to expand specialised medical care under the workers’ health insurance network.
The Labour and Employment Department and ESIC-Gujarat signed MoUs with the six institutions in Gandhinagar on August 12 in the presence of Labour and Employment Minister Kunvarji Bavaliya.
The agreements are intended to provide insured workers and their dependent bene¿ciaries with access to treatment for serious illnesses and emergencies, with expenditure covered under the scheme without a prescribed ¿nancial ceiling, subject to ESIC rules and eligibility. The six institutions are Shrimad Rajchandra Hospital and Research Centre in Dharampur, Valsad; Shrimad Rajchandra Sarvamangal Hospital and C. U.
Shah Medical College in Surendranagar; Shri Giriraj Hospital, a unit of Shri Giriraj Lifecare Private Limited, in Rajkot; Gokul Lifecare Private Limited in Rajkot; N. M. Virani Wockhardt Hospital Limited; and Dr Bhatt Pathology Laboratory in Rajkot. ESIC-registered workers and their families would be able to avail themselves of treatment at super-speciality hospitals according to their healthcare requirements.
There are more than 1.25 crore workers across the organised, unorganised and agricultural sectors.
MoUs signed
With six agreements, ESIC Gujarat has signed 32 MoUs with healthcare institutions, including 26 agreements signed earlier covering 13 government hospitals and healthcare institutions. The existing network includes institutions such as the U. N. Mehta Institute of Cardiology and Research Centre, GMERS hospitals, the Gujarat Cancer and Research Institute (GCRI), the Institute of Kidney Diseases and Research Centre and AIIMS Rajkot.
The expansion comes as Gujarat’s ESIC healthcare network continues to grow. The state has ESIC hospitals at Bapunagar, Ankleshwar, Naroda and Vapi, according to ESIC records. The 220-bed ESIC Hospital in Surat was inaugurated in June this year and is expected to serve around 3.20 lakh insured persons and 12.16 lakh bene¿ciaries in the region.
