Companies Can Soon Conduct Free Employee Health Check-Up Via ESIC

The government under new labour codes will soon allow companies to conduct free annual medical check-ups of its workforce though its social security scheme, in an effort to lower their financial burden.

“ESIC will provide free medical check-up to those employees registered with it, thereby reducing the (cost) burden for employers,” Apurva Chandra, labour and employment secretary, told reporters at a media briefing on Monday.

Employees above the age of 45 years are entitled for free of cost annual medical check-up, which was supposed to be sponsored by employers, according to the draft occupational safety health and working conditions rules proposed by the government in November. This was meant for all workers in the construction, factory and mines sector.

Companies, the draft rules said, must do medical check-up of their workers by April every year.

In case employees are not covered through the ESIC, companies will have to conduct check-ups at their own cost through tie-ups with private healthcare firms, Chandra said. At present, employees earning up to Rs 21,000 a month are covered under ESIC in states where such facilities are available. Establishments with at least 10 workers are a part of the ESI schemes.

The changes will be brought in the final rules which are being finalised by the government. Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Madhya Pradesh are also framing their own set of draft labour code rules, which will be released in the coming days, the secretary said.

In the final rules, according to Chandra, the government will provide flexibility to companies to reduce the number of working days in a week for workers with their consent.