Employees' State Insurance is a self-financing social security and health insurance scheme for Indian workers.

For all employees earning 15,000 or less per month as wages, the employer contributes 4.75 percentage and employee contributes 1.75 percentage, total share 6.5 percentage. This fund is managed by the ESI Corporation (ESIC) according to rules and regulations stipulated therein the ESI Act 1948, which oversees the provision of medical and cash benefits to the employees and their family through its large network of branch offices, dispensaries and hospitals throughout India. ESIC is an autonomous corporation under Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of India. But most of the dispensaries and hospitals are run by concerned state governments. The ESI Act was enacted in India in 1948, but come in to reality from 25.02.1952 started at Kanpur and Delhi. Initially intended for workers working in factories and companies only.[1]:1 It is now applicable to all establishments having 10 or more workers including educational institutions, hospitals, etc., covering 15.5 million employees working with about 450,000 employers. Total beneficiaries as of 2011-12 are above 65.5 million.[2]:13[3]

Contents

1 Benefits 2 Top Executives 3 Hospitals 4 References 5 External links

Benefits
In ESI scheme, a worker in insurable employment is called insured person (IP). Insured persons and their family are entitled to different types of benefits. The benefits are broadly classified into two: (1) Medical benefits and (2) cash benefits. The employees registered under the scheme are entitled to medical treatment for themselves and their dependents, unemployment cash benefit in certain contingencies, and maternity benefit in case of women employees. In case of employment-related disablement or death there is provision for a disablement benefit and a family pension, respectively.[1]:67 Funeral Benefit to dependents of Insured Persons/Insured Women. Super Specialty Treatment through Private Tie Up Network as well as through its own Super Specialty Hospitals situated throughout India. Also ESI is constructing Medical and PG Medical, Dental Colleges in which it has set aside certain percentage of seats for children of Insured Persons. Recently ESI taken a decision to make the 'dependent benefit' upto a ceiling of Rs.1200 for all eligible dependants of a deceased person. Through this approximately 86000 dependants got benefit. From time to time ESI relaxes conditions for disbursement of Sickness Benefit and Super Specialty Treatment.

Outpatient medical facilities are available in 1398 ESI dispensaries, and through 1678 empanelled private medical practitioners. Inpatient care is available in 145 ESI Hospitals and 42 Hospital annexes; a total of 19387 beds. In addition, several state government hospitals also have beds for exclusive use of ESI Beneficiaries. Cash benefits can be availed in any of 783 ESI centres lughout India.[2]:13,16 Recent years have seen an increasing role of information technology in ESI, with the introduction of Pehchan smart cards in 'Project Panchdeep', India's largest e-governance project. [2]:8[4] In addition to insured workers, poor families eligible under the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana can also avail facilities in ESI hospitals and dispensaries. There are plans to open medical, nursing and paramedical schools in ESI hospitals.[2]:8[3]

Top Executives
Director General of ESIC is Shri Anil Kumar Agarwal, IAS; Chief Vigilance Officer is Shri B.N. Tripathy, IPS; Financial Commissioner is Shri S.K.G Rahate, IAS; Personnel and Administration Commissioner is Shri T.K. Bhattacharya, Medical Commissioner is Dr. S.R. Chouhan and Shri Jose Cherian is the Insurance Commissioner.

Hospitals
ESI has set up various hospitals all over the country. Currently more than 20 new hospitals are under construction, some of the hospitals include ESI Gulbarga, ESI Joka, ESI Chennai etc[citation needed] . ESI has a budget of 25-30 crores per hospital for services like modular operation theater, medical gas pipeline system[citation needed]. This budget is at least 5 times the price necessary, but due to rampant corruption prices have been hiked 500%[dubious discuss]. Most order have gone to a single company because all the brand names approved belong to the same company[dubious discuss].