A state executive committee would be constituted to look after the overall functioning of medical care delivery system in West Bengal for providing better services to the beneficiaries, Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment Bandaru Dattatreya today said.
"Standing committee has decided to give full power to the state government and for that an executive committee will be formed which will look after the overall functioning of the medical care delivery system here.
"This is to decentralise and give more power to the state and enhance monitoring by it. The Centre will provide funds," Dattatreya told reporters after a review meeting with state Labour Minister Moloy Ghatak here.
He said the bed-occupancy of all the 13 ESI hospitals in West Bengal has been above 70 per cent. The ESI Corporation has released an extra amount of approximately Rs 22 crore to the state for 2013-14.
In fact, medical expenditure on medical benefits has been enhanced from an yearly Rs 1,500 per insured person (IP) to Rs 2000 per IP which was effective from April this year, he said in a statement here.
"We have enhanced the number of IP family units for each insurance medical practitioner (IMP) from present 1000 to 2000 IP family unit wherever dispensary is not available," Dattatreya said adding strengthening primary care was the ministry's priority.
"We have decided to increase fees for IMP from Rs 240 to Rs 300 per IP per year and to extend dispensary service from 7.30 AM to 7.30 PM for the convenience of the IPs," he added.
Secondary care services not available in ESI hospitals would also be made available through tie-up services with private reputed hospitals, he said.
"Superspeciality treatment services would be provided to the IPs by tie-ups with private reputed hospitals for ailments like cancer, kidney failure, heart diseases and other major illness," the minister said.
