KARACHI, July 21: Commissioner of the Sindh Employees’ Social Security Institution (SESSI) has asked doctors of the organization to improve their services so that better health-care facilities are provided to the workers.

Speaking at a meeting at KVSS SITE Hospital he asked the doctors to give their suggestions on how the medical facilities for the workers could be improved.

He said SESSI is spending an amount of over Rs427 million on provision of medical facilities to the workers registered with the institution, and it was the duty of the doctors to make maximum use of the available resources.

He said medicines price hike and aging of workers had increased the expenses, which could be controlled through an effective management.

He said SESSI was trying to improve its services as labour minister Dewan Yusuf Farooqui, who is not satisfied with the SESSI’s working, had issued direction to improve the services and working of the institution.

Meanwhile, the number of establishments registered with SESSI has risen during the last two-and-a-half years from 12,485 to 13,307 with the number of workers brought under social security increasing from 188,631, adds APP.

Dewan Yousuf Farooqui, who heads the SESSI governing body, has taken a number of measures to make the institution more beneficial.

The collection of social security contribution also grew and as a result annual budget simultaneously soared from Rs370.890 million in 1999-2000 to Rs453.301 million in 2001-2002.

SESSI paid cash benefits of Rs26.779 million in 2000-2001 which rose to Rs30.107 million in 2001-2002.

Similarly, the annual budget on account of medical care also went up from Rs282.554 million in 1999-2000 to Rs345.301 million in 2001-2002, constituting about 70 per cent of SESSI’s budget.

The organization spent Rs76 million on purchase of medicines. During 2001-2002 an amount of Rs145.57 million was earmarked for the purchase of equipment.

The coverage of social security has been extended to the units employing five or more workers.