Shortage of doctors and lack facilities at the Employees
State Insurance Corporation’s hospital here haunts over one lakh ESIC
members working in over 1,200 small and medium scale industries, said S.
Peter, district secretary of Centre of Indian Trade Unions here on
Thursday.
He told
The Hindu
that the ESIC had 1,01,093 members in the district spread across
Krishnagiri, Hosur, Bagalur etc. The employees took treatment for minor
diseases at Hosur, Bagalur and Krishnagiri ESIC dispensaries. But for
major ailments, they are referred to the ESIC hospital with 50-bed
capacity. Though the total strength of the doctors at the hospital is
13, only six are on the roll now. Even among them, some had gone on long
leave.
The hospital started in 1995 has a major
operation theatre with ultrasonography facility. But, there is no
specialist for ultrasonography test and also anaesthetist since 2005.
Doctors in the rank of assistant surgeon and assistant doctors in
gynaecology are on long leave. Out of the total strength of eight
assistant surgeons, four are vacant.
For critical care, most of the members were referred to the hospitals in Hosur and Bangalore for specialty treatment.
An ambulance, which was allotted to the hospital in 1995, is lying idle.
Shortage of sanitary workers has added to the woes of the hospital.
Four out of seven sanctioned posts are vacant.
Dr.
S. Madhan Kumar, Chief Civil Surgeon, said that due to lack of
facilities and specialists, major operations could not be done at the
hospital.
N. Sridharan, district president, CITU and
also a member of the ESIC Hospital Development Committee, had submitted a
memorandum to the Chief Regional Officer recently to rectify the
shortfalls in the hospital and also the dispensaries attached to the
ESIC, Hosur Hospital.
