In order to fight against the Coronavirus (COVID-19) in the country, the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) has declared eight of its hospitals with around 1,042 isolation beds as COVID-19-dedicated centres. Apart from this, they have dedicated four hospitals as quarantine centres as well.
The hospitals are as follows:
- ESIC Hospital, Ankleshwar, Gujarat: 100 beds
- ESIC Hospital, Gurugram, Haryana: 80 beds
- ESICHospital, Vapi, Gujarat: 100 beds
- ESICHospital, Udaipur, Rajasthan: 100 beds
- ESICHospital, Jammu: 50 beds
- ESICHospital, Baddi, Himachal Pradesh: 100 beds
- ESICHospital, Adityapur, Jharkhand: 42 beds
- ESICHospital, Joka, West Bengal: 470 beds
Quarantine facility (total 1,184 Beds):
- ESIC Hospital, Alwar, Rajasthan: 444 beds
- ESIC Hospital, Patna, Bihar: 400 beds
- ESICHospital, Gulbarga, Karnataka: 240 beds
- ESIC Hospital, Korba, Chhattisgarh: 100 beds
In addition to this, there are around 1,112 isolation beds that have been made available in most of the remaining ESIC hospitals across the country. All these hospitals are well-equipped with a total of 555 ICU/HDU beds with 197 ventilators. Moreover, the ESIC Hospital, Faridabad, Haryana has been designated as a COVID-19 testing facility.
Dr Arun Sharma, Medical Superintendent, Super Speciality Hospital Government Medical College, Jammu said, ” In Jammu and Kashmir, we are following the given guidelines by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, GOI, Indian Council of Medica Research (ICMR) and Govt of J&K, in particular. In Jammu, the options in terms of hospitals and converting them for COVID-19 positive cases for different levels are being seen. Cases of COVID-19 will be taken to designated COVID hospitals like Gandhinagar Hospital, Jammu; Psychiatry Hospital, Chest Diseases Hospital and the Government Medical College, Jammu, whereas, minor cases and asymptomatic patients will be directed to the hospitals like Police Hospital, GB pant, ESIC and so on.”
He also informed that the Government of J&K and its officers of health and medical education are working 24X7 and constantly evaluating the COVID-19 situation in Jammu and organising things accordingly.
ESIC beneficiaries can be referred to the tie-up hospitals for prescribed secondary/SST consultation/admission/investigation, during the period for which the concerned ESIC hospital functions as a dedicated COVID-19 hospital. ESI beneficiaries may seek emergency/non-emergency medical treatment from the tie-up hospital directly without a referral letter, in accordance with his entitlement.
It has also allowed the purchase of medicines by beneficiaries from private chemists during the lockdown period and its subsequent reimbursement by ESIC.
ESIC hospitals are adopting all the updated guidelines being issued by MoH&FW, Government of India, on a regular basis. Implementation of all such measures is being regularly monitored in the ESIC headquarter office through video conference with ESIC hospitals across the country.