ESIC to hike confinement expenses for maternity services to Rs 7,500

The decision was taken at an ESIC meeting chaired by Labour Minister Santosh Gangwar on Thursday

Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) has decided to increase confinement expenses paid to pregnant women for getting maternity services from other hospitals, to Rs 7,500 from existing Rs 5,000 after factoring in higher cost of living.

Confinement expenses are paid to those women beneficiaries who go for treatment in other hospitals due to inaccessibility of maternity services at ESIC dispensaries and hospitals.

The decision was taken at an ESIC meeting chaired by Labour Minister Santosh Gangwar on Thursday.

"Keeping in view the rise in the cost of living index resulting increase in expenditure related to confinement, existing amount of confinement expenses has been increased from Rs 5,000 to Rs 7,500," a Labour Ministry statement said.

According to statement, this facility is for pregnant ladies who are not able to avail maternity services of ESIC dispensaries or hospitals due to unavoidable reasons and take treatment in other hospitals.

The ESIC has also approved the operationalisation of economically weaker section (EWS) quota and admissions to ESIC Medical Institutions from academic year 2020-21.

Besides this, provisional Admission Policy-2020 for Admission to MBBS/BDS Seats under Insured Persons' (IPs) Quota in the ESIC Medical Colleges has also been approved.

The revised estimates for 2019-20 and budget estimates for the following year (2020-21) have been adopted and approved during the meeting of the ESIC.

As of now, the total beneficiary population of ESI Scheme stands over 13.56 crore.