Employee Situation Insurance (ESI) health centers, which serve workers in the public and private sectors, are in a pitiful state due to a severe lack of medical professionals, particularly doctors and paramedics.

Haryana, Punjab, and Himachal Pradesh, together have 562 sanctioned positions, out of which 346 doctoral seats are vacant, accounting for 62% of the total posts. The vacancies resulted from retirement upon reaching superannuation, voluntary retirement, resignation, service termination, and death.

According to the information presented in the current session of parliament, there are 392 sanctioned posts, of which 255 are unfilled. The situation is particularly concerning in Haryana, where more than 65.05 % of the authorized doctor positions are vacant, compared to the all-India average of 50.19 % across India. Punjab has a vacancy rate of 52.47 %, with only 48 doctors compared to the permitted strength of 101.

In Chhattisgarh, 62 of the 79 available doctor positions are unfilled. More than 63.07 % of seats are vacant in Bihar. Only 31 of the 69 authorized doctor positions in Himachal Pradesh are filled.

Thus, the scarcity of specialists to treat different specific disorders has forced the patients to seek treatment in already overcrowded government-run health facilities or private hospitals for which they must pay high fees.  (Times of India, Aug 5, 2022)