Employee State Insurance Corporation or ESIC is a self-financing social security and health insurance scheme which provides medical benefit, sickness benefit, maternity benefit, disablement benefit and various other benefits such as funeral expenses, free supply of physical aids etc. to the employees and their family.
The fund is managed by the ESI Corporation (ESI) 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. ESI 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.