The Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) has recently taken a major decision regarding the health of millions of employees. In case of emergency, these employees will be able to seek health care at a nearby private hospital. This has been approved. Employees with a salary of up to Rs 21,000 are eligible for ESIC benefits. ESIC pays for his and his family's illness. The scheme also covers private and government employees. This will greatly benefit about 41 lakh employees. Earlier, one had to go to the nearest ESIC dispensary or hospital to obtain referral for hospitalisation in empanelled as well as non-empanelled private hospitals.
The pre-condition of getting referral for hospitalisation from the ESIC dispensary or hospital has been done away in emergency cases in the board meeting held on Monday,” S P Tiwari, general secretary, Trade Union Coordination Committee (TUCC), told PTI. Tiwari, who is also on the board of ESIC, said the decision was taken as emergencies like heart attack or cardiac arrest require immediate hospitalisation. A
In the event of a heart attack, the patient may need immediate treatment. Beneficiaries of ESIC can seek treatment at ESIC or any other private hospital. However, the treatment will be cashless only in the in the empanelled private hospitals. Other private hospitals will have to pay the bill first and claim for refund later. The amount will be the same as the rate fixed by the Central Government's Health Services (CGHS). At present, if there is no ESIC or private hospital within a distance of 10 km, treatment is also allowed in non-private hospitals.