Employee State Insurance Corporation Scheme (ESI) Card

An Employees’ State Insurance card is a health care given to the beneficiaries enrolled under the Employees’ State Insurance (abbreviated as ESI) scheme. The scheme was rolled out by the Ministry of Labor & Employment to protect the interest of workers against medical calamities. Any establishment employing more than ten workers have to register their employees under the ESI scheme. The scheme is managed by the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (abbreviated as ESIC) which is an autonomous body under the govt. of India & works under the guidelines of the Employees’ State Insurance Act, 1948.

The Employees’ State Insurance (abbreviated as ESI) Scheme is a social security health insurance scheme that entitles beneficiaries & their dependents to avail of medical treatment benefits, maternity benefits, & unemployment cash benefits. If the insured person dies is rendered disabled to earn due to employment-related injury, they are eligible for pension benefit & disablement benefit, respectively.

The Employees’ State Insurance (abbreviated as ESI) scheme is a self-financed scheme which means the employer & the employee will contribute a certain amount from the wages, towards the scheme. The employer contributes 4.75% while the employee contributes 1.75% of the earnings & all the workers earning equal to Rs.21, 000 a month can enroll under the ESI scheme.

The Employees’ State Insurance card bears all the details of the employee’s name, father’s name, address, & insurance no. It also bears the employee's photo along with his or her dependent's photo & fingerprints. Each employee is given two sets of cards, one for himself or herself & one for his or her dependents. If the dependents of the insured person live in another town, they can use their ESI card at ESI hospitals to medical benefit under the ESI scheme.

How to Obtain the ESI card?

The employer needs to download an ESI card application form from the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (abbreviated as ESIC) portal & fill in the details of the employee. The employee has to submit a family photograph containing the photos of the dependents & the employer has to attest to the photograph. After signing the ESI Card application form, the employee has to take the form & his dependents to the nearest Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (abbreviated as ESIC) office where the photos & fingerprints of the employee & his or her dependents will be captured. Within 30 days, a set of two cards will be sent to the insured person either through a courier or he or she might need to visit the nearest ESIC branch to collect the cards.

Features of the ESI Card:

•Even if the insured person changes employment, he or she can continue using the same ESI card to avail of the benefit under the ESI scheme.

•If the insured person has changed jobs, he or she needs to inform the new employer & provide them with his or her insurance no.

•To change the benefits, the employee can register in the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) portal using his or her insurance number.

•If any information like mobile no., email, address, etc. of the insured person needs updating, he or she can intimate the employer to update it.

•If the insured person has enrolled for an Employees’ State Insurance card in his or her previous employment but has not received one, he or she can contact the previous employer one from the nearest Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) office.

•To ensure that medical benefits at the Employees’ State Insurance (abbreviated as ESI) network hospitals are availed easily & quickly, carrying the ESI card is always advised. The Employees’ State Insurance (abbreviated as ESI) card can also be used to track your medical treatment history.