Now, Centre abandons ESIC hospitals

Maharashtra Public Health Minister Dr Deepak Sawant confirmed that the Union government had asked the state to take over maintenance of these hospitals.

“Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment Bandaru Dattatreya has proposed that the states run these hospitals,” Sawant said.

Dattatreya visited an ESIC hospital in Mumbai on Monday. There are 12 ESIC hospitals in Maharashtra, which cater to five million ESIC beneficiaries – industrial employees who are covered the scheme.

Sawant said he would have to consult the Maharashtra cabinet regarding Dattatreya’s proposal. ESIC hospitals in the state have been facing shortage of doctors and staff. They also suffer from woefully inadequate infrastructure.

“Taking over these hospitals again would involve a massive cost. The hospital’s already owe the government Rs 1,500 crore. While the Union Minister has offered to help the state with finances, the Cabinet has to decide on whether the state can sustain the additional burden,” Sawant said. In 2011, Maharashtra had returned the hospitals to the Centre.

Embracing Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray’s “Vision Document”, the state’s health department, which the Sena controls, has decided to launch a scheme connecting all district hospitals and government-run colleges to rural health centres through telemedicine facility.

Health minister Dr Deepak Sawant said the scheme would be launched on January 23, which is the birth anniversary of Shiv Sena supremo (late) Bal Thackeray.
Sawant also borrowed another aspect of Thackeray’s ‘Vision Document’ while announcing that the government will provide nutritious food to tuberculosis patients.