Mysuru: Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment Santosh Kumar Gangwar will inaugurate the renovated 100-bed Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) Hospital on Nov. 28 at 10.30 am on KRS Road in city.

District Minister G.T. Devegowda,  State Labour Welfare Minister Venkataramanappa,  Mysuru-Kodagu MP Pratap Simha, MLA L. Nagendra and others will be present.

It may be recalled, the then Union Minister for Labour and Employment M. Mallikarjuna Kharge had sanctioned Rs. 24 crore for the construction of the hospital and had laid the foundation when the UPA Government was at the helm. But due to delay in sanctioning the plans and other related requirements, there was a delay in the completion of the construction. Later, the NDA government released Rs. 9 crore to complete the building.

The ESI Hospital is now constructed at a total cost of Rs. 34 crore after demolishing the old building. The 100-bed hospital is equipped with all modern equipment, Out Patient Department (OPD), Emergency Department, modern Operation Theatres, Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Radiology Department, Laboratories and Pharmacy.

As many as 1,27,000 registered labourers including their family members from Mandya, Mysuru, Kodagu, Chamarajanagar, Hassan and Chikkamagalur come under this ESI facility. There has been an increase in the number of patients after the monthly wage limit was increased from Rs. 15,000 to              Rs. 21,000.

MP Pratap Simha, speaking to Star of Mysore, said the construction of ESI Hospital was stopped  because of complaints of shoddy work and financial irregularities when Rs. 24 crore was granted. However, the works were completed after the release of Rs. 9 crore additional grant  from the NDA government, he said.