Report launch

Accessing medical benefits Under ESI Scheme: A demand-side perspective

The ESIS project is organizing an event on the 18 April, for the report launch and panel discussion.

The ILO in India, through the ILO-ESIS project, has been providing technical support to the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) to strengthen its health services while increasing coverage and financial protection of working people in India. As part of this project, based on inputs from organizations of employers and workers, the ILO has carried out the present study titled, “Accessing Medical Benefits Under ESI Scheme: A Demand-side Perspective” in 2020-21. The present study brings together comprehensive primary evidence from four states of India, Jharkhand, Haryana, Tamil Nadu, and Rajasthan. It is supplemented by an analysis of relevant secondary data, to identify obstacles and incentives faced by beneficiaries in accessing ESIS services.

The evidence in this study captures the health-seeking behaviour of beneficiaries as well as awareness and attitude of the insured persons and employers registered with the ESIS. The findings of this study underscore differential experiences and perceptions of beneficiaries in diverse implementation context of four states of India. The study highlights that while the ESIS beneficiaries appreciate the extensive benefit package, especially the medical benefits, there is still substantial scope of strengthening the effectiveness of the service delivery. At the same time, the beneficiaries themselves would gain from stronger awareness of their entitlements under ESIS. An important area of focus for increasing overall service utilization would be the provision of primary healthcare services. ESIS offers better financial protection than other similar schemes in India. However, it can contribute in a much larger way to India’s goal of Universal Health Coverage by increasing out-patient and in-patient healthcare service utilization at its facilities. One way to do this, as the study indicates, would be to actively track and improve the levels of beneficiary satisfaction.

The ILO will launch the full report containing details of the above findings and more, in this online event.

Panel Discussion

Key findings of the ILO report will be discussed by a panel consisting of representatives of workers’ and employers’ organizations and the ESIC. The discussion is expected to throw light on the views of the direct stakeholders of the ESI Scheme, on the incentives and obstacles that presently hamper the Scheme’s effective reach. It will also be an opportunity to understand the ESIC’s recent initiatives on addressing the obstacles and incentives for the stakeholders.

Join us for the launch of the ILO Report, ‘Accessing Health Benefits Under the ESI Scheme: A Demand-side Perspective’, and a panel discussion on the views of the direct stakeholders of the ESI Scheme, on the incentives and obstacles that presently hamper the Scheme’s effective reach. It will also be an opportunity to understand the ESIC’s recent initiatives on addressing the obstacles and incentives for the stakeholders. The report has been developed as part of the ILO project, ‘Technical support to ESIS for improving and expanding access to health care services in India – A transition to formality’.

The first guest panellist is Dr. Sakthivel Selvaraj, (Director, Health Economics, Financing and Policy, Public Health Foundation of India) who is the lead author of the report. Dr. Selvaraj, has a Ph.D. in Health Economics (1996-2001) from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. He was a Takemi Fellow (Post-Doctoral Fellow at Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, US) and a Fulbright Scholar during 2006-07. He is currently engaged in research, teaching and advocacy in the area of health systems, and in specific, health care financing and access to medicines. Dr. Selvaraj will be presenting the key findings of the report in the discussion.

The second guest panellist, Dr. R. K. Kataria, Medical Commissioner (Ayush), ESIC Hqrs., will present on the ESIC’s initiatives for improving healthcare service availability and access for ESI beneficiaries. The other guest panellists will include representatives of the organizations of workers and employers in India. They will reflect on the presentations by Dr. Selvaraj and Dr. Kataria, based on the experiences of workers’ and employers’ in accessing ESIC’s healthcare services.

The event will be held in English. You can download the full report here

Please send an email confirming your participation in this online event to Ms. Rasna Kaur at kaurr@iloguest.org. You can also write to Ms. Kaur with any queries.

Please click on this link for joining the event at 3.00 PM on 18 April 2022: https://ilo-org.zoom.us/j/96745304868