Inquiry into sub-standard work of ESIC Hospital: Union Minister

Committee to be set up; Report within a month

Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment Bandaru Dattatreya said that an inquiry would be initiated into the sub-standard work of the ESIC (Employees State Insurance Corporation) Hospital on Karwar Road in Hubballi.

He was speaking to presspersons here on Sunday after paying a visit to the yet to be inaugurated hospital building and inspecting the work along with BJP state president, Pralhad Joshi and former chief minister Jagadish Shettar.

DG level inquiry

Mr. Bandaru Dattatreya said that the inquiry would be initiated by the Director General of ESIC in association with the Quality Control experts from the corporation. “We will constitute an inquiry committee and direct them to submit the report within a month. We will also direct the officials to ensure that the hospital is made available for the public use at the earliest”, he said.

The union minister said that considering the area and the beneficiaries covered by the ESI Hospital at Hubballi, more facilities and personnel were required. He said that he would review the overall facilities at the hospital once he returned to Delhi and initiate steps to ensure that the ESI Hospital at Hubballi was developed into a model hospital. Earlier accompanied by Mr. Joshi and Mr. Shettar, the union minister of state visited various sections of the yet-to-be inaugurated hospital during which examples of poor quality of work were shown to him.

Locked

Although the minister’s visit to the ESIC Hospital was a scheduled one, to his utter surprise, he found the main gate of the under construction hospital locked. This enraged MP and BJP State Presidnent Parlhad Joshi who took to task the officials of the ESIC. It was only after the union minister waited for ten minutes that the main entrance was opened.