Punjab Cabinet on Monday took a slew of decisions related to various cadres and servicemen in different departments, including approval for filling up of 185 vacant posts of doctors and paramedic staff in ESI hospitals and dispensaries.

The filling up the posts will help ensure the best healthcare services to nearly 12.92 lakh insured persons covered under the Employees State Insurance (ESI) scheme across the state, said a spokesperson of the Chief Minister’s Office.

The Health Department would soon initiate the process of recruiting 55 doctors and 130 paramedics on contract basis, pending regular appointment. The decision would enable the Health Department to ensure cent percent availability of doctors and paramedics in ESI hospitals and dispensaries.

Spokesperson pointed out that the total financial liability for 185 posts would be Rs 3.96 crore, of which Rs 50 lakh would be met by the State Government and Rs 3.46 crores by the Employees' State Insurance Corporation, New Delhi (a statutory enterprise of the Government of India).

The Department of Health and Family Welfare has been entrusted with management and administration of six ESI Hospitals and 69 dispensaries in the State. The Health Department is required to ensure adequate manpower in these ESI hospitals and dispensaries, and to provide the medical facilities to the insured persons. The expenditure on running of the ESI hospitals and dispensaries is borne by the State and ESIC (GoI) in the ratio of 1:7 — that is 12.5 percent is to borne by State and remaining 87.5 percent is to be borne by ESI Corporation.

There are 12.92 lakh persons covered under the ESI Scheme. Employees drawing monthly pay of less than Rs 21,000, working in industrial units or establishments having 10 or more persons, are covered under this Scheme.

Meanwhile, the Cabinet has also accorded approval to the Defence Services Welfare Department to amend Para 8-B of the Punjab Recruitment of Ex-Servicemen Rules, 1982, in compliance with the Supreme Court orders to grant benefits to re-employed ex-servicemen for the services rendered during second National Emergency Period from December 3, 1971, to March 25, 1977. In another decision, the Cabinet has also approved the Punjab Excise and Taxation Department (Head Office) (Group-'A') Service Rules, 2018. The post of Superintendent Grade-1 falls in Group 'A' as per Finance Department instructions dated May 27, 2009. Consequently, separate set of rules is required to govern the service conditions of employees falling under Group 'A' at Head Office. The earlier applicable 'The Punjab Excise and Taxation Commissioner's office (State Service Class-III) Rules, 1954' have been repealed only to the extent applicable to Group 'A' employees.

The Cabinet has also accorded sanction for creation of four Dying cadre posts and inclusion of names of one Inspector and three Sub-Inspectors as sportspersons, to ensure the overall efficacious administration of Punjab police, besides raising the morale of its force.

Meanwhile, showering high words of praise upon the Punjab Cabinet for giving go ahead to its proposal to fill all the vacant 185 posts of doctors and paramedics in ESI hospitals and dispensaries of the state, the state Health and Family Welfare Minister Brahm Mohindra said that with this, there would be cent-percent availability of doctors and paramedics in ESI hospitals and dispensaries.

He said that 55 posts of doctors and 130 posts of paramedics were vacant in the ESI hospitals and dispensaries which was the biggest handicap in providing the quality health services to the insured persons of lower income group working in industrial units or establishments.

“To meet the urgent need, these 185 posts would be filled on contact basis till the regular candidates are available.  As and when regular employees would be appointed by the Health Department, the services of contractual employees would be dispensed with,” he said.