The Business Line 07.11.2009
New insurance scheme for HIV-affected
Our Bureau
Visakhapatnam, Nov 6 Population Services International (PSI), an NGO, in association with Star Health and Allied Insurance Company and the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC), launched a group insurance policy for 200 HIV-affected persons here on Friday.
Ms D. Purandeswari, Union Minister of State for Human Resources Development and Lok Sabha member from Visakhapatnam, said it was a laudable initiative to help the HIV-affected people and other insurance companies should come out with such products.
GVMC is contributing 50 per cent of the premium amount. Mr B. Sreedhar, Municipal Commissioner of GVMC, said it was necessary to provide health cover to the HIV-affected and to fight the stigma associated with the disease. He called for greater co-operation between the Government agencies and the NGOs in curbing the spread of the disease and also to provide better life to the HIV-affected.
Star initiative
Mr C.P. Udayachandran, Assistant Vice-President of Star Health and Allied Insurance Company, said that so far, 2,500 HIV-affected persons had been covered under the scheme in Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. He said it was only a beginning and there was scope for improving the product to serve the HIV-affected better. The company would strive in that direction, he added.
The Visakhapatnam Mayor, Mr P. Janardhana Rao, and the Programme Director of PSI, Mr Atul Kapoor, also spoke about the necessity for public-private partnership in combating the disease and helping the affected people.
