ESIC has expanded the coverage of its health check-up scheme to 15 cities
New Delhi:
Labor Minister Bhupendra Yadav on Saturday announced expansion of the pilot scheme of annual preventive health check-up program for Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) employees, who are above 40 years of age, in 15 cities from the existing five.
The minister had launched the scheme in December 2021 for ESIC members above 40 years of age in a pilot mode in ESI hospitals at Ahmedabad, Faridabad, Hyderabad, Varanasi and Kolkata.
Addressing the 187th meeting of ESIC, Mr. Yadav said, “In the last (ESIC) meeting, we had approved the proposal that we will introduce a pilot scheme for free medical check-up of insured persons of 40 years and above in five hospitals. Will start in Hyderabad, Faridabad, Varanasi, Kolkata and Ahmedabad. The results are satisfactory.” He said that now ESIC has approved the second phase of the pilot and has expanded it to a total of 15 cities.
However, the names of the 10 cities to be added in the pilot project will be announced later.
Under this scheme, factories as well as micro, small and medium enterprises will be considered as one unit and ESIC will coordinate with them for preventive health check-up of workers, he informed.
Mr Yadav urged the industrial unions and trade unions to come together to facilitate free medical check-up of MSMEs (in a group) in their area, where the workers employed in each unit are from 10 or 15.
On the disparity in the pay scales of medical professionals and other personnel working in ESIC and ESIC (State-run ESIC Hospitals) hospitals, the minister said it would be reduced and the remuneration of doctors and staff would be revised.
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