MP to hand over medical staff to ESIC

Amid simmering protests, the Madhya Pradesh government has decided to handover the services of doctors and paramedical staff of Employees' State Insurance Scheme to the Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) "" the parent organisation.

The state labour department has confirmed that it was in talks with the ESIC to handover services of more than 1,500-odd medical staff who render their services to industrial workers and their dependents in organised sector in contingencies due to an employment injury or occupational hazard.

"We have had discussions with Corporation's top officials, and they are ready to take the staff either on deputation or on a merger basis," a labour department official said.

He said the state did not have sufficient funds to run the scheme. In the absence of funds, the doctors can only provide referral service and workers suffer."

However, the employees are worried about the wide gap between salaries, allowances and perks between the state medical staff and central staff at par. "What will happen to our seniority, gratuity, pensions," a doctor asked.

The labour department has claimed that it has reaped good results through handing over one of the hospitals (under the scheme) in Indore under ESI scheme to the ESIC.

"We have seen better results in our Nanda Nagar hospital in Indore. The ultimate beneficiary is the labour. If doctors will not opt for this plan the department will handover their services to state health department."

An office bearer of Bhartiya Majdoor Sangh has also advocated the department's decision.

"The management and administration at the ESIC talks tough on doctors, while state government is lenient on services. The doctors do not want to join the ESIC as accountability and responsibilities are more over there," said Bhagwandas Gondane, general secretary, Bhartiya Majdoor Sangh and member of regional advisory committee of MP ESI Corporation.

A number of doctors working under the scheme, which was introduced in 1948, are apprehensive about the project.

"We have learnt that the department is handing over our services without subscribing the state Cabinet's opinion. We sense something fishy in the deal. The terms and conditions of handing over our services have not been spelt out by the state labour department so far. The department should inform us at least one month prior to handing over our services to the ESIC," a senior doctor told Business Standard.

However, the labour department has ruled out any possibility of handing over scheme staff services without taking the Cabinet into confidence.