Labour minister launches annual health check-up programme for ESIC members aged above 40

Yadav said this programme will help in early detection of diseases, as the authorities intend to address life-style and cleanliness related diseases among employees

Employees above 40 years and insured under Employees' State Insurance Corporation's (ESIC) will soon be able to undergo free annual health check-ups at the government facilities spread across the country, at a time lifestyle diseases are on the rise.

A pilot programme will start with four ESIC hospitals in Bapu Nagar in Ahmedabad, Faridabad, Sanat Nagar in Hyderabad and Joka in Kolkata, Union Labour Minister and ESIC Chairperson Bhupender Yadav said.

He said this programme will help in the early detection of diseases, as the authorities intend to address lifestyle and cleanliness related diseases among employees.

"Once the pilot project is reviewed, we will spread it across the country. I will myself monitor the progress of the programme," Yadav told reporters after the 186th meeting of ESIC.

In relief for employees hit by Covid-19, the meeting also decided to relax the contributory condition for ESIC Covid-19 Relief Scheme. For providing help to the families of the employees who died due to Covid-19, the ESIC approved relaxation of the contributory condition of payment from 70 days to 35 days for eligibility under this scheme.

The meeting also cleared the setting up of a 500-bedded hospital in Haryana's Manesar and a 100-bedded hospital in Uttar Pradesh's Meerut. Approval was also accorded for construction of new ESI Hospitals at Dubri (Odisha), Atchutapuram, Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) and taking over of ESIS Hospital in Assam's Tinsukia.

For the hospital in Manesar, land measuring 8.7 acres will be acquired while for the Meerut facility, 2.02 hectare has been provided free of cost by the Uttar Pradesh government.

The acquisition of five acres for a 50-bedded hospital at Duburi, which is expandable to 100 beds, and taking over of the state-run hospital at Tinsukia and its subsequent upgrade to a 100 bedded ESIC hospital has been approved. ESIC also approved the proposal for the creation of a Sub Regional Office at Jharsuguda in Odisha.

Andhra Pradesh government has provided two acres of land in Atchutapuram in Andhra Pradesh's Vishakhapatnam free of cost for a 30-bedded hospital.

Three high-powered committees were also formed to improve and strengthen the service delivery mechanism of ESIC. Minister of State for Labour Rameswar Teli will head a Committee on Buildings and Infrastructure for monitoring the ongoing projects of ESI Hospitals for their completion in a time-bound manner.

Labour Secretary Sunil Barthwal will head a panel on human resources to suggest an action plan for recruitment, manpower, transparency and other best practices in the day-to-day functioning of the ESIC.

The Labour Secretary will also head another panel on Information and Technology for capacity building, Artificial Intelligence (AI), telemedicine and online monitoring of procurement and dispensing of medicines.

Yadav also asked the states to conduct Regional Board meetings regularly so that the recommendations may be incorporated in the future meetings of ESIC which will be held four times a year.

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