Mr. O. Abdul Hameed, former A.C, on ESIC Medical Colleges!

(Mr. O.A. Hameed, former Additional Commissioner of the ESI Corporation, has written the following in the Facebook, which is reproduced here for the benefit of the readers)

“After seeing ESIS from within the organisation at several level and at several States including its Corporate HQ and then from Industry in two States and one UT, I feel ESIS scheme has utterly failed in its primary goal. For me the primary goal is to provide satisfactory medical care with greatest emphasis on primary medical care through the dispensaries. Why do I say primary medical care is much more important ? The object of the scheme is to to prevent absenteeism due to sickness by keeping workers healthy, and by keeping their dependent healthy and in case of illness, to ensure that they are cured as early as possible, so that they can join back the economic activity and contribute to their own need-satisfaction as also the national production and productivity. Primary medical care is also the most accessed benefit unlike cash compensation since every one in family need to go to a doctor for small to major ailment and while wast majority go to primary medical centers, those needing super-specialty would be a fraction. If you take a group of 1000 IPs/family member during a period of one year, we may find that at least 900 would need to go to a doctor at least once during the year, whereas not more than 5 would need super-specialty care. It is in the Primary care role, ESIC failed miserably, by asking the contributing person to go to State Government, while enforcing contribution! Panel system in major state provide no medical care at all, just leave certification and primary medical cares dispensaries in most state is very poorly managed. ESIC has been taking the stand that medical care is responsibility of State and it is difficult for them to take over. When ESIC can not run primary care dispensaries, providing basic infrastructure and personnel, they are now embarking on very expensive step of medical education by setting up over 15 medical colleges besides PG centers, nursing colleges, para-medical colleges etc. It is like, if you can’t provide dal-roti, provide chocolate cake and to do that set up several air conditioned cake factory!”

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But, things had, long back, gone beyond the stage of consideration of this valuable advice. So many projects running into hundreds of crores of rupees were sanctioned, in the year 2008-09 itself, for construction of buildings for the Medical Colleges, even before the Parliament passed Amendment Bill in the year 2010.

Event that Amendment came into existence by deceiving the Parliamentary Committee. Ministry of Law did not want to go into the merits of the issues raised by Mr. A. Veerappan. Herculean attempts made by him to convince the Members of Parliament met with improper response by those members. Only a few workers unions in Chennai and Banagaluru raised voice of protest. Parliamentary approval was managed on the last day of the session. For more on them, click on these links. (https://flourishingesic.info/2012/10/11/prof-adarkar-and-esic-medical-colleges/) & (https://flourishingesic.info/2012/09/13/no-time-to-read-so-esic-got-medical-colleges/)

Now, there are buildings but no medical colleges, Ayanavaram being the best example. Land had been alienated to CMDA too, unnecessarily without any authority. (https://flourishingesic.info/2013/02/21/executive-powers-of-the-chairman-standing-committee-of-esic/)

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A reader from London has sent an email which describes the situation very appropriately, with precedents. Excerpts:

“… I am reminded of the 3rd Law of ‘The 48 Laws of Power’, written by American strategist Robert Greene and the said 3rd Law is reproduced under:

“Conceal your intentions. Keep people off balance and in the dark by never revealing the purpose behind your actions. If they have no clue what you are up to, they cannot prepare a defines. Guide them far enough down the wrong path, envelop them in enough smoke, and by the time they realise your intentions, it will be too late.”

I am sure that you will agree that the above law holds good on all the issues raised by you in your write-ups, as the real intention of the powers-that-be behind such reckless actions are indeed malafide, but camouflaged to hoodwink the gullible public….Now coming to the yet another issue of manifest misuse of administrative powers and total lack of accountability …. of such powers-that–be, but conveniently forgotten with the passage of time, as the public memory is too short, as the adage goes.  … give a thought on the so called ‘Census’, futile exercise undertaken in all Regions, ordered at gun point, in the year 2007, involving considerable expenses at the cost of stake holders’ hard earned money, but with no useful result to the organisation. …”

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Readers may please go through the Comments below as they contain important information.