ESIC Approves Major Healthcare and Medical Education Expansion

The key decision was that all newly built and upcoming ESIC hospitals will now be managed directly by the corporation to ensure uniform standards and better quality of healthcare.

The Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) has approved a series of major decisions to strengthen healthcare services, expand medical education, and improve administrative efficiency during its 198th meeting chaired by Union Labour and Employment Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya in New Delhi. The meeting cleared several proposals aimed at improving healthcare access for insured workers while modernising ESIC's hospital network, medical education system, and organisational structure.

The key decision was that all newly built and upcoming ESIC hospitals will now be managed directly by the corporation to ensure uniform standards and better quality of healthcare. Existing hospitals under state governments that are being upgraded or reconstructed will continue under state management unless the respective state chooses to transfer them to ESIC.

New medical colleges, cancer care and Ayush integration approved

The Corporation approved a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Ayush to integrate Ayush services into ESIC's healthcare system. The collaboration will focus on addressing occupational and lifestyle-related health issues through holistic and accessible treatment while strengthening capacity building across ESIC facilities. Several infrastructure projects also received approval, including the establishment of Occupational Disease Centres in Sanathnagar, Faridabad, Ludhiana, Beltola, and Bhubaneswar, along with in-principle approval for Zonal Rehabilitation Centres.

Healthcare facilities will also be expanded through the upgradation of ESIC Model Hospital, Bari Brahmana (Jammu) from 50 to 100 beds and ESIC Hospital, Tirunelveli from 100 to 150 beds. The Corporation further approved a Radiation Oncology Block at ESIC Medical College and Hospital, Joka, Kolkata, equipped with advanced cancer treatment facilities including a Linear Accelerator, CT Simulator, Brachytherapy Unit, and PET-CT scanner.

In medical education, ESIC approved plans for a Dental College with undergraduate and postgraduate programmes at Basaidarapur, New Delhi, and granted in-principle approval for a new ESIC Medical College at Haridwar, which is expected to admit its first batch of 50 MBBS students during the 2027–28 academic session.

Administrative reforms and beneficiary support strengthened

The Corporation also approved the restructuring of ESIC's Medical Education Division, including the creation of specialised functional divisions and an ESIC Medical Education Advisory Board to support the expansion of medical, dental, nursing, and allied health institutions. To improve governance, a new consolidated Memorandum of Understanding for State ESI Societies was adopted in line with the Code on Social Security, 2020, while the Employees' State Insurance (General) Regulations, 2026 were also approved to replace the existing regulations dating back to 1950. To improve administrative reach, ESIC will establish five new Sub-Regional Offices in Meghalaya, Bilaspur (Chhattisgarh), Rajkot (Gujarat), Jamshedpur (Jharkhand), and Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh).

The Corporation also extended the Atal Beemit Vyakti Kalyan Yojana, which provides unemployment allowance to insured persons, for another year from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027, ensuring continued support for eligible beneficiaries.