Medical Insurance for Female Employees Not Covered by ESIC: What Are Your Thoughts?

Our company is registered under the Shops and Establishments Act. We provide ESIC facilities to our employees. Should we also provide medical insurance to female employees who are not covered under ESIC?

It would be fair enough to provide medical insurance coverage to those employees, not only females but also males who are not covered under ESIC.

Yes, I agree with Mr. Kumar. It would be advisable to cover all the above ESIC slabs as a part of employee welfare.

It is mandatory for female employees to be covered under medical insurance with maternity benefits. You can refer to the Maternity Benefit Act, wherein you can find the conditions.

I also agree with Kumar and Venkat that, irrespective of gender, it is better to cover all employees above the ESIC slab under private medical insurance. If the medical insurance premium costs borne by the company are a concern, there are options available. You can negotiate with the service provider for a base coverage plan, with the premium being paid by the company. For additional coverage features listed in the form of top-up coverage, the premium can be deducted from the employee's payroll based on the top-up coverage plan opted for by the employee. However, this would only be feasible if you have a large number of employees, possibly in the thousands.

That apart, it would be a matter of concern for establishments to take care of accident insurance and life insurance for liabilities arising 'in the course of employment'. As such, it is necessary that mediclaim like health cover and accident policy are arranged in respect of those not covered under ESIC.

Thank you.