Blame game over delay

Visakhapatnam: The Central government is blaming the state government for delay in construction of Employees State Insurance Corporation’s (ESIC) super specialty hospital in Visakhapatnam.

The Central government has sanctioned 500-bed super specialty hospital to be established in Visakhapatnam in 2016. However, as the state government is not allocating the land for ESIC super specialty hospital, lakhs of ESI beneficiaries have been deprived of advanced medical services.

Observing the need of the medical services to the ESI beneficiaries, the ESIC established a 100-bed hospital with all medical services at Malkapuram in 1971. The ESIC took the land from Visakhapatnam Port Trust for a period of 40 years on lease.

After the lease agreement, the VPT rejected to continue the agreement. Apart from that building was in a dilapidated condition, hence, the hospital was shifted to a rented building at Arilova.

Former Union Labour and Employment Minister Bandaru Dattatreya visited the dilapidated buildings in 2016. Meanwhile, the officials also informed the minister that the number of ESI beneficiaries already crossed 3.5 lakh in the north coastal districts.

After that the Centre announced to construct 500-bed hospital in Visakhapatnam which will ensure to render most advanced medical services to the ESI beneficiaries of north coastal districts. The ESIC urged the state government to allocate 10 acres of land to construct the hospital.

“The Andhra Pradesh government has allotted a plot measuring 8.59 acres at Sheelanagar, Visakhapatnam, free of cost to ESIC. However, the land has not been found suitable. Accordingly, the ESIC has urged the state government to provide suitable alternate land in developed locality.

The state government is yet to allot suitable land to ESIC. But ESIC did not withdraw from construction of new hospital building project,” responding to a query raised by YSR Congress Party MP V Vijayasai Reddy, Minister of State for Labour and Employment Santosh Kumar Gangwar replied in the Rajya Sabha. The ESI Hospital was shifted from the Visakhapatnam Port Trust’s land to rented premises, the minister added.