Lack of patients ails ESI hospital

Special services shifted to other hospitals for want of demand

• Nizamabad ESI hospital degraded despite having all amenities
• Workers and trade unions demand immediate reopening of the hospital

Nizamabad: The very purpose of the Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) of providing social and health security to their subscribers is not being met, at least in Nizamabad. The ESI Hospital here shifted special services to other hospitals on the pretext of not having required number of ESI card holders, thus forcing the poor workers to approach private hospitals, though they could not afford them. The ESIC had set up the 100-bed hospital in Nizamabad in 2000 and provided specialist services like surgical, diagnostic, in-patient and out-patient services.

The ESI subscribers availed the hospital services only till 2008 and after that the hospital degraded into a dispensary due to lack of required number of ESI subscribers within the limits of the hospital. There are about three lakh workers in Nizamabad district, working in various organisations like beedi industry, rice mills, sugar factories, biomass plants and service sector. Of these, nearly 2.5 lakh beedi rollers are working in various beedi factories and the remaining 50,000 are working in various other factories and service sectors.

Claiming that there are only 6,000 ESI card holders within the limits of Nizamabad hospital, which was less than the required number, the ESI officials have shifted specialist departments like surgical and diagnostic, inpatient services to Warangal and Kothagudem Singareni hospital. With only, outpatient services left with the hospital, Godavari, a beedi worker, lamented that they were visiting private hospitals for any health problem.

Dr. Krishna Murthy, In-charge and Civil Surgeon of the hospital, said the then MP Keshpalli Gangareddy fought for the hospital and got it sanctioned in 2000 for the benefit of the workers, especially for beedi workers, more in number in the district. This hospital ran two dispensaries at Yellammagutta and Shivajinagar with about more than 100 staff and provided specialist services for almost eight years. The Nizamabad ESI hospital has all amenities required for 100-bedded hospitals, like very huge premises, well equipped building, operation theaters and other facilities, Dr. Murthy added.

According to the ESIC norms, minimum 10,000 ESI card holders are required within six kilometers range of the hospital limits. But now, there are nearly 50,000 workers within the Nizamabad hospital limits. Of these workers, majority are beedi rollers who work from their homes and ESI Corporation will not issue ESI cards for those who works from house. Vanamala Krishna, IFTU leader and Telangana Beedi Workers Union founder alleged that the ESIC officials were favouring beedi factories’ owners instead of workers and saying lame executions.

In Hyderabad, the ESIC officials are issuing ESI cards for household beedi workers also but in Nizamabad, they are refusing to do the same. He demanded the officials to increase the limits of the hospital range from six to 10 kilometers, issue ESI cards for household workers, spread the ESI services for other industries and service sectors to increase the card holders and immediately reopen the Nizamabad ESI hospital to provide health security for workers.

Union Minister for Labour Bandaru Dattatreya assured Nizamabad MP Kavitha last year that their government was taking steps to reopen the hospital, but his promise was not fulfilled till date. Labour and various trade unions are requesting the Union Labor Minister for immediate reopening of the hospital and provide health security for lakhs of people.

By Shyam Madavedi