TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
MARGAO: There’s a good news in store for the employees covered under the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation.
The ESIC has approved in principle a state of the art 100-bedded hospital at north Goa. The decision to sanction the second ESI hospital for Goa was taken at the 161st meeting of the corporation held at New Delhi recently. A communiqué to this effect was despatched to the regional director, ESI Corporation by Assistant Director Bimla Bhushan.
The ESI Corporation’s decision comes against the backdrop of the petition by state Labour Minister Avertano Furtado during his visit to the national capital last year. ‘A second state of the art 100 bedded ESI hospital was the need of the hour in north Goa in view of the changing scenario. Since the ESI hospital in Margao was catering to the needs of employees working down south, there was a need for a second hospital in north Goa”, Avertano told Herald.
He said the government has identified land at Porvorim which can be utilised to set up the proposed hospital in North Goa. “I have discussed the issue of land at Porvorim with Chief Minister, Manohar Parrikar. The chief minister had been open in earmarking the land in question with the ESIC to set up the hospital”, he said.
On the the ESIC’s offer to set up a medical college in Goa on condition that the state government make available the land for the project, Avertano said he too is in favour of the medical college being set up in the state under the ESI scheme, but hastened to add that land availability might come in the way of implementing the project.
Replying to a question on the status of the upgraded Margao ESI hospital which was commissioned by Union Labour Minister Oscar Fernandes a month ago, Avertano said that the hospital is awaiting arrival of the state of the art medical equipments to start full-fledged operations.
“The 100 bedded Margao ESI hospital will go into full fledged operation once the equipments fall in place. The election code of conduct also came in the way of the full fledged operations”, he added.
