Hind Mazdoor Sabha (HMS) has expressed serious concern over the acute shortage of staff in ESI (Employees State Insurance) dispensaries established for the social security of employees in Chandigarh. HMS Vice President Kashmir Chand has written a letter to the Health Secretary of Chandigarh Administration and raised the issue of chaos and poor condition of health services in ESI dispensaries located in Sector-23 and 29.
In the letter sent by HMS, it has been told that the staff working in the ESI dispensary located in Sector-29 is very less as compared to the sanctioned staff. For example, 13 posts of medical officers are sanctioned here. But at present only 3 are deployed. Out of 19 pharmacist posts, only 7 are staffed. No appointment has been made on important posts like staff nurse and lab technician.
Information not received even through RTI
HMS said that incomplete information was given in the reply to an RTI filed on April 21. Due to which the lack of transparency in the functioning of these institutions is clearly visible. An internal source has said that posts like ward sevak (only 5 out of 11 working) and sweeper (only 2 out of 7 working) are also running with less than half the staff, which is having a big impact on cleanliness and operations.
Apart from this, only one out of 10 clerical posts is working and only one out of 5 ANM (auxiliary nurse midwife) posts has been filled. Other auxiliary posts like peon, maid and gardener are also lying vacant. However, all 4 posts of watchman have been filled.
No doctor in Sector-23 dispensary
The letter also mentions that no doctor is posted in the ESI dispensary located in Sector-23, while complaints of lack of medical facilities have been made by the working class for a long time. Kashmir Chand said that due to this negligence of the government, the poor and working class employees are being deprived of basic health services.
HMS has demanded that all the sanctioned posts be filled as soon as possible and the necessary facilities of the dispensaries should also be improved. The organization has suggested that a lab should be built there, medicine counters should be increased and the number of cleaning staff should also be completed, so that cleaning and work can be done properly.
HMS has demanded from the administration that immediate steps should be taken to protect the basic spirit of these dispensaries, providing cheap and accessible health care to the working class.