2nd Phase of Tele-Medicine Services of ESIC for North-Eastern States Launched

New Delhi, December 06, 2016: Shri Bandaru Dattatreya, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Labour & Employment launched the 2nd phase of Tele-medicine services for providing specialist medical services at a distance to insured workers here today. In this phase ESIS dispensary, Dimapur (Nagaland), Shillong (Meghalaya), Agartala (Tripura) has now been connected to ESIC Hospital, Joka, Kolkata w.e.f. 1st December, 2016. The telemedicine services is going to bridge the gaps between presence of beneficiaries at different North-Eastern States locations and availability of Specialist and Super-specialist Consultation services.

The first phase was launched in September, 2016 by connecting Employees State Insurance Corporation’s(ESIC) Model Hospital Basaidarapur with three ESIS dispensaries at Katihar (Bihar), Unnao (UP) and Rudarpur (Uttrachal).

On the occasion, the Minister interacted with some workers visiting these far off Dispensaries for medical consultation. Shri Santi Jiban Chakraborty from Agartala , Shri Madalet Marboh from Shillong and Md Kalamuddin from Dimapur were overjoyed to see the Minister enquiring about their health and the facilities being given to them. They were relaxed and satisfied to receive consultations from specialist doctors from ESIC Hospital Joka, Kolkata through this Tele-Medicine Services of ESIC.

Smt. M. Sathiyavathy, Secretary, Ministry of Labour & Employment, Shri Heera Lal Samariya, Additional Secretary, Shri Deepak Kumar,Director General, ESIC, Medical Commissioners and other Officers of the Ministry and ESIC were present in the function.

New Initiative

ESI Corporation has been providing health care and other social security benefits to the workers of specified wage group since the last 65 years as a labour welfare measure. Under this new initiatives, ESIC has launched Pilot Project of Tele-medicine Services at 11 ESI locations at NO Cost; in coordination with Health Informatics and Electronic Division (HIED), C-DAC, Mohali, under the aegis of “Digital inclusive and Smart Community (DISC) which is a part of Digital India Programme of Government of India. The three hospitals (HUB) and eight (SPOKE) associated Dispensaries are as under:-

S.No.	Name of Hospital/HUB	Name of Dispensaries/Spoke	Remarks
Phase-1	ESIC Model Hospital, Basaidarapur, New Delhi	1. Rudrapur, Uttrakhand 2. Unnao, Uttar Pradesh 3. Kathiyar, Bihar	Ist phase was inaugurated on 6th Sept, 2016 by Hon’ble Minister of Labour and 64 patients have taken benefit from this service since then.
Phase –II	ESIC Model Hospital, Joka, Kolkata	1. Agartala (Tripura) 2. Shillong (Meghalaya) 3. Dimapur (Nagaland)	Hon’ble Minister of Labour inaugurated IInd phase on 1st December, 2016.
Phase –III	ESIC Model Hospital, Rajajinagar, Bangalore	1. ESIS Dispensary Raigarh, Chattisgarh 2. Rain Basera Bhawan, Khorba, Chattisgarh	IIIrd phase will be started tentatively in last week of December, 2016.

The three chosen HUBS are Post-graduate Medical Institutes, so that both, Super-speciality & Speciality door-step consultative services may be provided to the ESI beneficiaries. The dispensary is chosen Spokes from those States where there is no secondary care of ESI Hospital or such ESI Hospital is still under construction.

ESI Scheme in India:

The Employees’ State Insurance Corporation is a pioneer Social Security organization providing comprehensive social security benefits like reasonable Medical Care and a range of Cash Benefits in times of need such as employment injury, sickness, death etc. The ESI Act applies to premises/precincts where 10 or more persons are employed. The employees drawing wages up to Rs.15,000/- a month are entitled to health insurance cover and other benefits, under the ESI Act. The Act now applies to over 7.83 lakh factories and establishments across the country, benefiting about 2.13 crores family units of workers. As of now, the total beneficiary population of ESI Scheme stands over 8.28 crores. Ever since its inception in 1952, the ESI Corporation has, so far, set up 151 Hospitals, 1459/188 Dispensaries / ISM Units, 813 Branch/Pay Offices and 62 Regional & Sub-Regional/Divisional Offices.