Life insurance policy extended towards people living with HIV/AIDS
Discrimination and criticism of people living with HIV/AIDS in Sri Lanka have the main issues that affected persons who have been grappling with over the years.
Beyond discrimination there have also been other problems they have faced in life. Even insurance companies refused to provide cover for affected persons.
Now the International Labour Organisation (ILO) together with the Insurance Board of Sri Lanka (IBSL) has come up with an insurance coverage policy for people living with HIV/AIDS in the country. The announcement was made at a seminar held at the Cinnamon Grand in Colombo last Tuesday. Four insurance companies have come forward to provide life insurance including the clause for people living with HIV/AIDS.
Insurance Board of Sri Lanka Chairperson Indrani Sugathadasa speaking at the event said, "An initiative of this kind was introduced earlier but due to a lot of criticism from some of the former directors, it was neglected." There are 21 insurance companies in Sri Lanka which provides life and nonlife insurance policies but the insurance penetration rate with respect to the GDP remains the same at 1.10 per cent with no change at all, she pointed out. The insurance companies need to move into rural areas and as per statistics in 2013, around 1800 were affected by HIV/AIDS in respect of the total population, she noted. She also stressed that insurance has to be provided to everyone without gender, cast or criticism, equally to everyone.
Janashakthi Insurance PLC Chairman Chandra Schaffter said, "The objective of the implementation of the new life insurance is to provide equal treatment to the people living with HIV/AIDS." The product feature includes a term plan with death benefit only, entry between 25 and 55 years only, maximum term of 10 and maximum sum assured is Rs. 1 million. Those insured must be registered with a government/private hospital for a minimum period of one year preceding the date of application, noted Mr. Schaffter.
AIDS Foundation Sri Lanka Chairman, Dr. Palitha Abeykoon who spoke on the confidentiality factor of the disease said, "Stigma and discrimination not only prevails in diseases but everything in humanity." The two main reasons for confidentiality are human rights dimension and public health dimension.
The AIDS Foundation will play a major role in keeping the information provided by the people living with HIV/AIDS confidential, he noted.
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