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The Employees’ State Insurance Corporation is extending social security net to new sectors of employment that include privately or trust managed educational institutions, hospitals, nursing homes and other medical institutions across the country. Implementation of the ESI Scheme in all Municipal Corporations, Cantonment Boards and other Local Bodies as resolved by the Corporation in the recent past will be another thrust area for optimum coverage. The surveys conducted thus far are indicative that over a million workers employed in health, education sectors and municipal areas and their dependent family members will benefit from the extension of the Scheme.
The mechanism to implement these decisions is being discussed at the two days conference of the ESI Regional Directors and Senior State Medical Commissioners that began here today.
In his inaugural address at the Conference Dr. Ajay Dua, Director General, ESIC emphasized the need for extending social protection to low salaried workers in view of rising medicare costs and other related risks the workers are constantly exposed to. Dr. Dua urged the senior filed officers to expedite the process of setting up of medical infrastructure, wherever necessary, in close coordination with the State Governments before the formal notifications are issued by the Central/State Governments. He said that with sufficient resources at our command the ceiling on expenditure on medicare will also be enhanced shortly for bringing about need based improvements in the system. He said the total outgo as expenditure on medical benefit may be in the vicinity of Rs.1,000/- crores in the current financial year.
The Corporation has already sufficient countrywide medical infrastructure to service over 35 million beneficiaries, whereas, only just over 30 million beneficiaries are serviced now resulting in underutilization of installed capacity.
MLD:LK:L-185(27.4)
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