Union Minister for Labour and Employment Santosh Kumar Gangwar on Thursday promised to improve facilities and ensure state of the art technology in all ESI hospitals across the country. He laid the foundation stone for the construction of a 100-bedded hospital at Gajularega of Vizianagaram district to cater to 1 lakh employees of 1,150 factories in Vizianagaram and Srikakulam districts.
He said that the government was improving medical facilities in all the 159 hospitals located in the country.
The Minister said that ESI hospitals were located in Visakhapatnam, Rajahmundry, Vijayawada and Tirupati and the fifth hospital in Vizianagaram would benefit many labourers of the two districts in the North Andhra region. He hailed the initiative of former MP Botcha Jhansi who had ensured five acres of land for the construction of the hospital.
Workers to benefit
Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development Botcha Satyanarayana said that the hospital being constructed with ₹75 crore would be a boon for the workers of the two districts as otherwise they were all forced to go to Visakhapatnam ESI hospital to get treatment.
Andhra Pradesh Minister for Labour and Employment G. Jayaram and Vizianagaram MP Bellana Chandrasekhar urged the Union Minister to complete the hospital construction within two years.
Vizianagaram MLA Kolagatla Veerabhadra Swamy urged both Labour Ministers to look into the grievances of the workers of the jute mills and other factories.
ESI Regional Director B. Ramakoti, ESI Additional Commissioner Kothari, Principal Secretary of Labour and Employment B. Udayalakshmi were among those present.
