Summary:
When TOI visited the three-storey Worli ESIC hospital, several wards were shut because they were too dilapidated or had no staff to man them. “There are many proposals for renovation in various stages of clearance,” he said.Public health analyst Dr Ravi Duggal said of ESIC’s Rs 50,000 crore reserves, Rs 30,000 crore are free to be used wherever needed: “ESIC gets contributions of Rs 16,000 crore every year from its users, but only uses Rs 7,000 crore for healthcare. The Worli hospital is supposed to have 300 beds, but only 150 are functional. Of these, less than 40 are occupied.“We refer patients to nearby hospitals like KEM and Sion for treatment,” said an official. For instance, the paediatric ward on the first floor has stayed shut for a year because it has no NICU..