iGovernment
12 July 2010
By Hemant Singh
Chandigarh, India

The new facility would be available from August next month at 2,210 health centres run by the corporation
Over five crore beneficiaries of the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) will be able to avail the health facilities provided by the corporation at any of its 2,210 health centres across the country by using smart cards.

Under its one of the biggest e–Governance project–Panchdeep– the corporation will issue smart cards to all insured employees and their families. Also, it will make available online the information of the patients, companies and employers under the ESIC Act.

"All employees covered by the ESIC would be issued biometric identity cards along with separate cards for their families, enabling them to avail the treatment anywhere in the country. A large number of families of insured persons are staying at their respective native places, following the commissioning of the project they would be benefited as they would be able to get the healthcare at the place of their choice," ESIC Director BB Puri said.

"Moreover, the cardholder can continue his treatment at any of the ESIC’s hospitals even after shifting his base by using a unique number provided to him as the medical history of the patient would be available online," Puri added.

The new facility would be available from August next month at 146 full–fledged hospitals, 42 hospital annexes, 1,388 dispensaries and 1,678 panel clinics run by the corporation.

In addition to this, the registration of companies as well as employees under the ESIC scheme and even the payment of contribution, submission of all returns and information like accident reports would be done online.

For more than 68,000 employees covered under the ESIC scheme in Chandigarh, the corporation plans to open three new dispensaries in the city to ease out the rush at its existing two ones.