Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) during its 184th Meeting held on 22.02.2021 has taken several significant decisions to improve its service delivery mechanism and to strengthen the medical infrastructure benefiting its Insured Workers.

Highlights

    1. Relaxation in contributory conditions to avail Sickness Benefit to the Insured Women availing Maternity Benefit

        a. After the enhancement in duration of maternity benefit from earlier 12 weeks to 26 weeks, in some cases Insured Women were not eligible to avail sickness benefit.

        b. In such cases, it has been now decided that an Insured Women will be qualified to claim sickness benefit in the corresponding benefit period if the contribution in her respect were paid or payable for not less than half the number of days available for working in such shorter contribution period.

        c. The relaxation will be effective from 20.01.2017 i.e. the date from which the enhanced duration of Maternity Benefit is effective.

    2. Relaxation in contributory conditions to avail Sickness & Maternity Benefits for the benefit period of January to June 2021

        a. Countrywide lockdown has resulted in non-entitlement to avail sickness & maternity benefits for many Insured Persons/Women as the mandatory days of contribution couldn’t be met.

        b. Considering the hardship being faced by Insured Persons, ESIC has now decided to extend the relief to the IPs by relaxing the contributory conditions for availing the Sickness & Maternity Benefits for the benefit period of 01.01.2021 to 30.06.2021.

        c. Now, an Insured Woman will be entitled to avail Maternity Benefit, if the contributions in respect of her were payable not less than 35 days in immediately preceding two consecutive contribution periods.

        d. In case of IPs/IWs appointed before the contribution period April-September, 2020, the eligibility condition to avail sickness benefit will be decided on the basis of their contribution in previous contribution period i.e. September 2019 to March 2020.

        e. The IPs/IWs appointed during the contribution period April-September, 2020 will be eligible for sickness benefit in the benefit period January-June 2021 if contribution in respect of them were payable for not less than half the number of days available for working to them during the contribution period April-September 2020.

    3. ESIC to construct 300 bedded Hospital including 50 Super Specialty beds at Haridwar, Uttarakhand

        a. To meet the medical services needs of IPs in Haridwar & surrounding districts, the ESI Corporation has decided to construct 300 bedded ESIC Hospital including 50 bedded Super Specialty beds & Staff Quarters in 5 acres of land at Haridwar, Uttarakhand.

        b. After construction, the hospital will provide medical care services to around 2.55 lakh Insured Workers & their family members.

    4. ESIC to construct 350 bedded Hospital with additional 50 bedded SST wing at Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh

        a. ESI Corporation has approved the project of construction of 350 bedded Hospital with an additional 50 bedded SST Wing and 128 Staff Quarters in a plot area of 8.72 acres (approx.) at Sheelanagar, Visakhapatnam.

        b. The proposed hospital, after construction, will provide medical services to around 14 lakh beneficiaries covered under ESI Scheme in Visakhapatnam & surrounding areas.

    5. Establishment Of Negative Pressure ICU at ESIC Super Specialty Hospital & Medical College at Hyderabad, Telangana

        a. The decision to establish Negative Pressure ICU at ESIC Super Specialty Hospital & Medical College at Hyderabad, Telangana was also taken during the meeting.

        b. The establishment of Negative Pressure ICU will decrease the burden of infection to the healthcare workers and will also decrease secondary infections to other critically ill patients admitted in the ICU.

    6. Approval of Revised Estimates & Budget Estimates for the year 2020-21 & 2021-22 and Performance Budget for the year 2021.22 of ESIC

    7. Besides these, around 25 other agenda items pertaining to improvement in service delivery mechanism were also reported and approved.

(The author is a trainer for Civil Services aspirants. The views expressed here are personal.)