By Jabali Digital
An insurance company has launched a new health cover, with a target of covering women on risks such as cancer, hospitalization and death.
The Malkia Britam-Hospicash cover by Britam Insurance firm was launched in Kisumu on Friday, on the backdrop of study reports revealing that women have for long been left out of insurance schemes.
Addressing the press, Evah Kimani, CEO Britam Connect said she is pleased that after many years, women who are the cornerstone of the society can now be covered at a rate of Sh130 per month, about Sh5 daily.
“Diseases such as breast cancer and ovarian cancer affect the majority of our women. And that is why we are launching this product,” she said.
According to their timelines, Community Health Entrepreneurs (CHEs), otherwise known as Community Health Promoters (CHPs) are being given the first opportunity to register within the next two months, before the scheme is opened up to other women.
CHEs, Kimani said, are close to women in communities, adding that they will make good ambassadors of the new scheme.
“We want to access at least 200,000 women across the country by the end of this year. At Britam, we are working with many hospitals just to ensure that our clients get quality medication,” she added.
The insurer is partnering with Healthy Entrepreneurs and Inclusivity Solutions towards making the scheme a success.
Naserian Mpeeyia, Inclusivity Solutions regional manager said the registration process is online, automatically doing away with paperwork that characterizes most insurance schemes.
“The platform is available to register these women so they don't need to use paperwork at all,” she noted, adding that CHEs will onboard those without smartphones.
“That is why we are working with CHEs because every CHE has 100 households, which means that the CHE can actually onboard even someone who doesn't have a smartphone.”
Jacob Omondi from Healthy Entrepreneurs said their major role is to take health insurance cover to communities, to complement the work being done by the national and county governments.
“That is why we are here to assist the government to reach out especially to the furthest communities where people cannot be able to pay for health cover.”
Under the Malkia Britam Hospicash cover, beneficiaries get a cancer care benefit of up to Sh200, 000, last expense benefit of up to Sh50, 00 and hospicash benefit of Sh1,000 per night spent in hospital for admission of more than three days.