Millions of Pakistani workers are entitled to free medical treatment for themselves and their families through a scheme their employer is legally required to enrol them in, and never use it - usually because nobody ever told them it exists.
Social security is not EOBI
| Provincial social security | EOBI | |
|---|---|---|
| Administered by | PESSI, SESSI and provincial equivalents | EOBI, federal |
| Main benefit | Medical treatment and cash benefits | Old-age pension |
| Covers dependants | Yes, for medical treatment | Survivor benefits on death |
| When you use it | During working life | At retirement or on death |
| Contributions | Employer, provincially set | Employer and employee shares |
| Registration by | The employer | The employer |
These are two separate schemes and an employer must deal with both. Employees frequently believe a single deduction covers everything, and employers who registered for one sometimes never registered for the other - see the EOBI guide and the employer compliance checklist.
What the benefits actually are
- Medical care for the insured worker at social security hospitals and dispensaries.
- Medical care for dependants - spouse, children and, in defined circumstances, parents.
- Sickness benefit - cash during certified illness.
- Injury benefit for employment injury.
- Disablement benefit where injury causes lasting incapacity.
- Maternity benefit for insured women.
- Death grant and survivor support.
The dependant medical cover is the benefit most worth knowing about and least used. A worker whose child needs treatment may be entitled to it without charge at a social security facility, and instead pays privately or goes without - because nobody explained the entitlement. Amounts and scope are set provincially, so confirm with PESSI or SESSI.
Who is covered
- Employees of establishments falling within the provincial scheme.
- Subject to a wage ceiling in some provinces - check the current position.
- Registration is the employer's duty, not something you apply for yourself.
- Contract and temporary staff are frequently within scope despite employer assumptions.
- Coverage follows the province where you work, not where you live.
- Dependants are covered through the insured person's registration.
Point four repeats a theme across Pakistani employment compliance: whether someone is covered turns on the substance of the arrangement, not the label on the contract.
Checking whether you are registered
- Ask your employer's HR for your social security registration number.
- Check your payslip for any social security reference.
- Contact the provincial institution directly with your CNIC.
- Ask whether your dependants are registered as well.
- Obtain the card or entitlement document if issued.
- Check the details are correct - name, CNIC, dependants.
Ask about dependant registration specifically. A worker can be registered while their family is not recorded, which means the medical cover that matters most - for a spouse or child - is unavailable at the point of need. This is a five-minute question with real consequences.
If your employer never registered you
- Raise it in writing with the employer.
- Gather employment evidence - appointment letter, payslips, service records.
- Approach the provincial institution setting out the employment.
- Approach the provincial labour department in parallel.
- Check the EOBI position too - the same failure usually affects both.
- Take advice if you are still employed and concerned about retaliation.
Registration is a statutory duty on the establishment, and an employee's failure to ask does not relieve the employer of it - see what to do when an employer never registered you, which applies the same approach.
For employers
- Register the establishment with the provincial institution where within scope.
- Register each covered employee, including contract staff where applicable.
- Register dependants so the medical cover is usable.
- Pay contributions monthly and file the returns.
- Register separately in each province where you operate.
- Update joiners and leavers promptly.
- Tell employees the benefit exists - it costs nothing and is genuinely valued.
The last point is the cheapest employee benefit available to a Pakistani employer. You are already paying the contributions; telling staff that they and their families have medical cover, and how to use it, converts a compliance cost into something the workforce actually experiences as a benefit.
How contributions work
Understanding who pays what helps both sides check that the scheme is actually being operated.
| Point | Position |
|---|---|
| Who contributes | Generally the employer, at a provincially set rate |
| Basis | Wages, commonly subject to a ceiling - confirm currently |
| Frequency | Monthly, with a return |
| Rate setting | Provincial, and revised by notification |
| Late payment | Attracts additional charges and recovery action |
| Arrears | Assessable across past periods |
No rates are quoted here deliberately, because they are provincial and revised - confirm the current figure with PESSI, SESSI or the institution for your province. What is stable is the structure: a monthly employer contribution against a wage base, with a return listing covered employees.
For employers, this liability behaves exactly like EOBI arrears - it accrues quietly whether or not anyone is thinking about it, and surfaces years later during an inspection or a due diligence exercise on a sale. Reconcile the return against payroll monthly rather than annually; see EOBI contributions and penalties.
Using the medical entitlement
- Establish which facilities serve your area.
- Carry your registration card or number and CNIC.
- Confirm dependant registration before you need it, not during an emergency.
- Ask what treatment is covered and what is referred out.
- Keep records of treatment and any claim.
- Claim cash benefits - sickness and maternity are frequently unclaimed.
Sort the paperwork while nobody is unwell. Discovering at the hospital that a spouse was never registered, or that the card details are wrong, is the worst possible moment to find out.
Frequently asked questions
What is provincial social security in Pakistan?
Schemes run by PESSI in Punjab, SESSI in Sindh and provincial equivalents, providing medical treatment for insured workers and their dependants plus cash benefits for sickness, injury, maternity and death.
How is it different from EOBI?
EOBI is federal and provides old-age pensions used at retirement. Provincial social security provides medical care and cash benefits during working life. They are separate schemes and an employer must deal with both.
Does it cover my family?
Yes, medical care for dependants is generally available through the insured person's registration - and it is the most valuable and least used part of the scheme. Confirm scope with your provincial institution.
Who registers me?
Your employer. Registration is a statutory duty on the establishment, not something an employee applies for, and the commonest reason workers receive nothing is that they were never registered.
How do I check whether I am registered?
Ask your employer's HR for your registration number, check your payslip, or contact the provincial institution directly with your CNIC. Ask specifically whether your dependants are registered too.
My employer never registered me. What can I do?
Raise it in writing, gather employment evidence, approach the provincial institution and the labour department, and check your EOBI position at the same time since the same failure usually affects both.
Are contract workers covered?
Frequently yes. Coverage turns on the substance of the working arrangement rather than the label on the contract, and employers regularly assume contract staff fall outside when they do not.
When should I sort out the paperwork?
Before you need it. Discovering at a hospital that a spouse was never registered, or that card details are wrong, is the worst moment to find out.
Who pays the contributions?
Generally the employer, at a provincially set rate applied to wages and commonly subject to a ceiling, paid monthly with a return. Rates are revised by notification, so confirm the current figure with your provincial institution.
What happens if an employer does not pay?
Late payment attracts additional charges and recovery action, and arrears are assessable across past periods. Like EOBI, the liability accrues quietly and surfaces during an inspection or a sale.