BMA alleges move to shift ESI hospital

  • | Friday | 20th July, 2018

The ESI Hospital at Malkapuram is a State hospital, when the old hospital building reached a state of ruin, the hospital was temporarily shifted to the Health City,” an ESIC source told The Hindu. The land allotted for construction of the ESI Hospital at Sheela Nagar in Visakhapatnam has become a grazing ground for cattle. Visakhapatnam city has a large number of PSUs and industries and an ESI Hospital would be of use to the large number of workers. “The State government is trying to shift the 500-bed ESI Hospital and the proposed medical college to Vijayawada,” M. Jagadiswara Rao, Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) All India vice-president, has alleged. “The Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) wanted to build one super speciality hospital and a medical college in every State.

The land allotted for construction of the ESI Hospital at Sheela Nagar in Visakhapatnam has become a grazing ground for cattle. | Photo Credit: C.V.Subrahmanyam more-in The long delay in construction of the ESI hospital, the foundation stone for which was laid in the city more than two years ago, and the talk on building of a 500-bed hospital at Vijayawada, is giving rise to speculation on shifting of the proposed hospital out of Vizag. It may be recalled that the foundation for an ESI Hospital was laid by the then Union Minister of State (Independent charge) for Labour Bandaru Dattatreya, in presence of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu at Sheela Nagar on April 11, 2016. “The State government is trying to shift the 500-bed ESI Hospital and the proposed medical college to Vijayawada,” M. Jagadiswara Rao, Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) All India vice-president, has alleged. “The foundation stone for construction of a PF office in Rajamahendravaram, which was also laid on the same day, has already been inaugurated. At the foundation stone-laying ceremony of the ESI Hospital, the Chief Minister had agreed to give additional land and suggested setting up of a 500-bed hospital so that an attached medical college would also be granted by the Centre,” Mr. Jagadiswara Rao said. Sheela Nagar, which is close to the National Highway (NH-16), provides easy access to people from all over the State. Visakhapatnam city has a large number of PSUs and industries and an ESI Hospital would be of use to the large number of workers. “The Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) wanted to build one super speciality hospital and a medical college in every State. They were set up in Hyderabad. Post-bifurcation, A.P. lost both. The ESI Hospital at Malkapuram is a State hospital, when the old hospital building reached a state of ruin, the hospital was temporarily shifted to the Health City,” an ESIC source told The Hindu. ‘Procedural issues’ “Though there were delays in the allotment of additional land by the State government they were purely due to procedural issues. The additional land of 1.5 acres was allotted by the State government in October, 2017. The Director General of ESIC and Secretary (Ministry of Labour and Employment) are due to visit the city and a clear picture would emerge after their visit,” according to the source. Meanwhile, the land has become a grazing ground for cattle.

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