Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 10: Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC), Jammu & Kashmir region, organized a seminar at Regional Office, Shastri Nagar to conclude the fortnight long celebrations marking 63rd anniversary.
The programme was attended by ESIC Regional Board (J&K) members Tejwant Singh Reen, ex-president, AOI, Lakshman Ravinder Singh, organising secretary, Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), ESIC Local Committee Member Harbans Choudhary, BMS and other stake holders Adarsh Tickoo, Sudhama Business Solution, Ashok Choudhary, Secretary, BMS, Jammu, Bhushan Singh, general secretary, BMS and Roopmani Devi, representing employers and employees. Dr VP Mathur, State Medical Commissioner, ESIC Jammu presided over the seminar.
Regional Director, Arvind Kumar, welcomed the participants and gave an overview of the latest performance of ESI Scheme in Jammu & Kashmir. He stated that during 2014 ESIC, J&K has processed over 16,000 Medical cases for treatment of beneficiaries involving Rs 8.44 crores and in the years 2015 an amount of Rs 68.15 lakhs has been spent so far. He stated that there is no old case pending for processing. Dr Om Prakash, Addl SMC, ESIC, RO Jammu, stated that necessary direction has been given to all the Medical Officer I/C of ESI Dispensaries to process the Medical cases fast.
TS Reen, Lakshman Ravinder Singh and other stake holders, however, expressed their deep concern on certain changes made in the provisions of the scheme which are against the interest of the ESI beneficiaries. Such changes as entitlement for medical treatment form, date of registration, limiting of Super Specialty Treatment expenses, putting preexisting disease exclusion clauses in respect of insured employee or their dependent children, reduction of validity of temporary identity card issued by employers to employees, etc. were termed by them as hurting the interests of the employees. They demanded roll back of the same so that the ESI Scheme remains unparallel Social Security of this Socialist nation and called for detailed reports from Regional Director in the Statutory Boards to enable them to take up the matter further. They also expressed their apprehension of difficulties to beneficiaries of the scheme due to another decision of abolishing of revolving funds from which reimbursements to Insured Employees and payment of tie-up Hospital etc were being made, which would now be made by State Govt. Revolving Fund scheme was brought in for quicker settlement of payments through ESIC since the State Governments were not able to process and clear payments to beneficiaries, service providers and suppliers of the ESI Scheme in the time, they added.
Follow our WhatsApp channel