ESI hospital not in sound health

Manmeet Singh Gill

Advertisement

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, July 18

Dilapidated washrooms with broken doors, choked sewerage, non-functional elevators for years and growth of wild shrubs crumble the premises of the Employees State Insurance (ESI) Hospital, Majitha Road, into an eyesore.

Choked drainage in the washrooms has troubled the visitors for years. As the surroundings of the hospital building is often waterlogged, a large wild growth can be seen on the premises. Residents living nearby have complained several times that insects and reptiles have been living in the shrubs.

Even the water cooling machine is out of order. Though the hospital had opened its doors for general people around two years ago, lack of facilities has failed to draw them. The district has over 32,000 ESI card holders entitled for medical services under the state insurance scheme.

However, most of them prefer to get a referral to any of the private hospitals at the expense of the ESI merely because they do not find the services adequate here. A large number of beds in the hospital are unoccupied and it speaks volumes about the disinterest of the public.

An official, who didn’t wish to be named, said higher authorities of the ESI as well as the Punjab Health System Corporation have been repeatedly apprised of the problems, but to no avail. Further as the hospital is facing shortage of safai sevaks, the state of cleanliness is disappointing.

An attendant of a patient said, “Though ESI offers cashless medical services to card holders, the reality is that people often ask doctors to refer them to private hospital empanelled by the ESI Corporation.”

A senior official, seeking anonymity, said, “The condition of the hospital is pathetic. We can do nothing unless the government issues funds for renovation and upgrade of the building.”