The Sindh Employees Social Security Institution (Sessi) spent over Rs 3.419 million on providing medical and financial benefits to its registered workers during August 2008. Of the total amount involved, Rs 1.102 million was paid as sickness expenses, and Rs 1.662 million as disability pension.
Besides, Rs 0.163 million was paid as compensation for injury caused while at work, Rs 21,000 as pension to families of deceased, and Rs 57,000 as financial assistance in cases of death/Iddat.
Reviewing Sessi's monthly performance, Sessi Commissioner Shahid Gulzar Shaikh said that on the directive of Labour Minister Amir Nawab, a number of steps were being taken to make social security scheme more effective and to widen its operational network so that all possible facilities could be made available to registered workers.
He directed all Field Directors to get the survey of unregistered industrial and commercial organisations completed without any delay so that maximum number of workers in new establishments could also benefit from social security scheme.
The meeting was informed that during August 2008, Rs 122.101 million was collected as social security contribution from 20,375 registered industrial and commercial organisations, while the number of registered workers stood at 445,561. He said that 137,357 patients visited Sessi medical outlets, while 11,000 patients were referred to specialists and 272 major operations were conducted in Sessi hospitals during the month under review.