ESIC allows its insured persons to avail all medical facilities from tie-up hospitals

Employees State Insurance Corporation has allowed its insured persons to avail all medical facilities from tie-up hospitals, including medicines from private chemists, as several of its own hospitals have been converted into COVID-19 dedicated hospitals.

“ESI beneficiaries can be referred to tie-up hospitals for any medical requirement, including emergency and non-emergency services, during the period for which concerned ESIC hospital functions as dedicated Covid-19 Hospital. "This can be availed directly without referral letter, in accordance with the entitlement of the beneficiary," it said on Thursday.

Further, in order to ease hardship of ESI beneficiaries in this tough time, ESIC has allowed purchase of medicines by beneficiaries from private chemist during lockdown period and its subsequent reimbursement by ESIC, it said.

ESIC has set up 1042 isolation beds in COVID-19 dedicated hospitals with maximum in West Bengal, Gujarat and Rajasthan. Around 1112 isolation beds have been made available in most of the remaining ESIC hospitals across the country and a total of 555 ICU beds with 197 ventilators have also been made available for relief to ESI beneficiaries and the public in general. ESIC has 3.2 crore insured person and total beneficiary of 12 crore.

Source: The Economic Times