ESIC 198th Meeting Key Decisions

Union Minister for Labour & Employment and Youth Affairs & Sports, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, chaired the 198th meeting of the Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) in New Delhi, where several significant decisions were approved to strengthen healthcare infrastructure and service delivery.

Hospital Management Restructuring

In a major policy shift, ESIC approved that all upcoming and newly commissioned ESI Hospitals will be directly managed by ESIC to ensure standardized, efficient, and high-quality healthcare services. Hospitals currently under State Governments and undergoing reconstruction or upgradation will continue under State management unless the concerned State Government opts for handover to ESIC.

Ayush Integration and Healthcare Infrastructure

The Corporation approved a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Ayush and ESIC to create a joint framework for integration, promotion, strengthening, and capacity-building of Ayush services within ESIC's healthcare delivery system. This aims to address occupational and lifestyle-related health challenges through holistic and accessible care.

Major healthcare infrastructure initiatives include establishment of Occupational Disease Centres at Sanathnagar, Faridabad, Ludhiana, Beltola, and Bhubaneswar, with in-principle approval for Zonal Rehabilitation Centres. The phased upgradation of ESIC Model Hospital, Bari Brahmana, Jammu from 50 to 100 beds was approved, comprising 20 additional beds within existing building, a new 30-bed ward, and identification of land for a new facility. ESIC Hospital, Tirunelveli will be upgraded from 100 to 150 beds with acquisition of adjacent lands for developing SST blocks. In-principle approval was granted for a Radiation Oncology Block at ESIC Medical College & Hospital, Joka, Kolkata featuring High-Energy Linear Accelerator, CT Simulator Unit, Brachytherapy Unit, and PET-CT Scan facility to strengthen cancer care for beneficiaries across Eastern Zone including West Bengal, Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand, and North-Eastern States.

Medical Education Expansion

In-principle approval was granted for reorganization and strengthening of the Medical Education Division, including creation of functional verticals and additional posts, and constitution of an ESIC Medical Education Advisory Board. Two major medical education initiatives were approved: construction of a Dental College with UG and PG facilities, Super-Specialty cum OPD Block, staff quarters, hostels, and allied infrastructure at ESIC Medical College & Hospital, Basaidarapur, New Delhi; and setting up of a new ESIC Medical College at Haridwar, Uttarakhand, with annual intake of 50 MBBS admissions utilizing existing infrastructure of ESIC Hospital, Haridwar from Academic Year 2027–28 onwards.

Administrative and Regulatory Updates

The Corporation approved adoption of a new consolidated Memorandum of Understanding for State ESI Societies, replacing the 2017 models, necessitated by enactment of the Code on Social Security, 2020. This enables Governing Body and Executive Committee sessions to proceed during pending non-official nominations, and designates Insurance Commissioner and Medical Commissioner as permanent invitees.

Five new Sub-Regional Offices (SROs) will be established at Meghalaya, Bilaspur (Chhattisgarh), Rajkot (Gujarat), Jamshedpur (Jharkhand), and Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh) to improve service delivery, compliance monitoring, and decentralisation of administration following implementation of the Code on Social Security, 2020 effective from 21.11.2025.

The Corporation approved framing of the Employees' State Insurance (General) Regulations, 2026 under the Code on Social Security, 2020, revising the existing 1950 regulations.

Social Security Scheme Extension

The unemployment allowance scheme for Insured Persons, Atal Beemit Vyakti Kalyan Yojana (ABVKY), was extended for a further period of one year from 1st July, 2026 to 30th June, 2027.