Union Labour Minister assured me on ESIC transfers: Tejasvi Surya

Bengaluru, May 24 (IANS) BJP MP Tejasvi Surya on Wednesday said that "unjustified" transfer of doctors of ESIC hospital in Bengaluru would be rectified by the Union Government.

Surya, a Lok Sabha member from Bengaluru South, met Union Labour and Employment Minister Bhupender Yadav at his office in New Delhi and requested him to look into the mass annual transfers announced by the ESIC Hospital in Bengaluru.

Recently, the ESI Corporation, which comes under the Ministry of Labour, issued mass transfer orders all over India.

As a result, about 130 doctors from ESIC Hospital, Rajajinagar, and about 27 doctors from ESI Hospital, Peenya, are transferred to various hospitals across the country.

Surya told the minister that such a large number of transfers would adversely affect the functioning of the hospitals, and hamper the delivery of the services at the ESIC. The mass transfers would also displace a large number of doctors and their families and cause disruption of the patient services.

Responding to Surya's request, the Minister assured him that the transfer orders would be examined and any transfer made in violation of the Corporation's transfer policy would be rectified. He also said that vacancies at every centre would be filled up soon, ensuring that there is no deficiency in healthcare service for the patients at the ESIC hospitals.

"It's the priority of the Government of India, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to protect and safeguard the interests of workers across different sectors. Doctors at the ESIC Hospital cater to the poorest of the labour classes, who are not well conversant in English and are mainly accustomed to regional languages.

"The Central Government stands with the doctors providing yeomen service at the ESIC hospitals across the country. It has assured to look into the transfers recently announced by the ESIC. The Minister has personally assured that any transfer order which is unjustified and in violation of any transfer policy would be rectified by the Labour ministry. Vacancies at the ESIC hospitals would also be filled up soon," Surya said after the meeting.