Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) is planning to take over the control of all hospitals and dispensaries in the country currently being run by various state governments, it is learnt.

The Corporation has already approached the state governments in this regard seeking their cooperation in handing over the charge of these institutions. Top sources in the Corporation said that after takeover, the first thing ESIC intends to do is to strengthen the medical and para-medical staff prior to its plan to have a string of medical colleges.

Currently, the Corporation has a staff strength of 13026, excluding Corporation's sponsored hospitals and dispensaries managed by state governments.

When contacted Dr. S.K. Jain, deputy medical commissioner of the Corporation said letters seeking consent have already been sent to all the states. The governments of Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh have agreed to hand over their ESI hospitals and dispensaries to the Corporation.

"Those who are willing to hand over the institutes to us will be approached for further discussion. Most of the hospitals need renovation, and after taking over these institutions, their conditions will be improved and better quality healthcare would be provided to the patients", he said.

ESIC has sponsorship of 144 hospitals and has partial control of 1397 dispensaries which are with various state governments. The Corporation is running 18 hospitals under its direct control and they are known as Model Hospitals. However, ESIC is funding a significant amount to the state controlled ESI hospitals and dispensaries. In the hospitals the patients are provided with modern healthcare facilities with in-patient care, but the dispensaries are being run with out-patient facilities in the morning and evening.

ESIC had come out with a proposal to set up eleven medical colleges in various parts of the country from this academic year onwards, including one in Tamil Nadu, to meet the increasing demand of medical professionals in the country. The Corporation had also identified 12 medical colleges for starting the PG course and diploma courses in association with the respective state governments.

The ESIC Hospital, at KK Nagar in Chennai is functioning as a Model Hospital with multi-specialty treatment facility. The facilities in the hospital include Neo-natal intensive care unit, casualty, operation theatre, blood bank, HIV/VCTC clinic, X-ray, ECG & Ultrasound and Ambulance.

This hospital attends all referral cases from 15 ESI dispensaries in South Chennai covering an insured population of 4,00,000. Its Occupational Diseases Centre (OD Centre) is catering to OD referral cases from the four Southern States of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala. In Tamil Nadu, apart from the Model Hospital at K K Nagar, the Corporation has control over eight hospitals and 183 dispensaries.