A review meeting under the Chairpersonship of Ms. Sumita Dawra, Secretary Labour & Employment, Govt. of India was held at the ESIC Regional Office, Vijayawada, and Andhra Pradesh on 02.12.2024. The Secretary said that the growth of the Employees' State Insurance (ESI) Scheme in Andhra Pradesh is significant and the scheme has expanded its coverage to include a wide range of industries and sectors, ensuring that more workers benefit from essential healthcare and financial protection. With the development of medical infrastructure, including ESI hospitals and dispensaries, and the adoption of technology for efficient service delivery, access to quality healthcare for workforce has been significantly enhanced.

In this context, with the efforts of the Government of India, the Employees' State Insurance (ESI) Scheme has reached 668 districts of the 36 States and Union Territories, catering to the social security and medical care needs of around 3.72 crore Insured Workers and 14.43 crore beneficiaries. Further, the Government is working on convergence of two of the biggest healthcare schemes i.e., ESIC and Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), thereby extending the reach of ESI Scheme to the remaining non-implemented districts with provision of this arrangement of providing medical care to the beneficiaries through the network of AB-PMJAY empanelled hospitals.

Secretary visited the ESI Hospital in Gunadala, Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, where she interacted with patients and expressed her appreciation for the hospital's efficient functioning. She lauded the quality of healthcare services provided to the beneficiaries and commended the hospital's dedicated staff for their commitment to ensuring the well-being of the patients. She also visited the ESI Dispensary in Autonagar, Vijayawada, where she noticed that the ESI Scheme is effectively addressing to the social security needs of the workers in of the e-commerce platforms, the transport industry, pickle industry and courier services. She emphasized the scheme's pivotal role in extending healthcare and financial protection to a diverse range of workers, ensuring their well-being and security.

The Secretary also directed to complete all ESI infrastructure projects in Andhra Pradesh within the scheduled time frame to ensure timely delivery of services to workers and accommodating the demand of medical care for the increasing workforce under the scheme. She also stressed the need for continuous outreach programmes to create maximum awareness about the benefits of the ESI Scheme among the workforce. Additionally, she highlighted the significance of conducting regular health check-up camps to enhance access to healthcare and promote the well-being of workers across the state, duly involving all stake holders.

ESI Scheme in Andhra Pradesh

The ESI Scheme was first implemented in few centers in the undivided Andhra Pradesh w.e.f. 01.05.1955. At present the ESI Scheme is in force in 679 Mandals of all 26 districts of Andhra Pradesh State. The administrative function of the ESI Scheme is being looked after by 01 Regional Office, 02 Sub-Regional Offices each at Vishakhapatnam and Tirupathi, 19 Branch Offices and 4 DCBOs. The ESI Scheme, at present, is catering to the social security needs of around 54 lakh beneficiaries in the state of Andhra Pradesh. A total of 1,53,793 no. of payments were made to the ESI beneficiaries amounting to Rs 80 crore  during the year 2023-24. In the year 2024-25, already payment of about Rs 56 crore has been disbursed under various benefits to about 97,787 workers by ESI Corporation.

 

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