One of the country’s
life assurance companies, Old Mutual Malawi, plans to offer a free life cover
to frontline health personnel valued at K22 billion ($30 Million) in the wake of the Covid-19
pandemic.
The offer comes few days after frontline
healthcare workers resumed work from
a two-week sit-in protesting unavailability of personal protective equipment
(PPE) and low risk allowances in the wake of the pandemic.
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| Malawi Healthcare workers in a two-week sit-in |
A concept paper that we have seen indicates
that the cover, targeting 22,000 workers, will run for six months starting from
May 1 to October 31.
This means the company has sacrificed over K275
million that could have been earned in premiums.
“Old Mutual Health practitioners’ free cover is
specially designed under Mlera Life cover, with the goal of providing a life
cover for hard working Malawian health practitioners risking their health
during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The cover is free to all registered health
practitioners under the Medical Council and Nurses and Midwives Council of
Malawi. The cover pays an amount of K1 million upon death due to Covid-19
complications and any accidental death, a three-month waiting period before
non-accidental death and no medical testing is required for the six months free
cover period,” reads the statement in part.
Old Mutual Malawi Group Chief Executive
Officer, Edith Jiya, confirmed the development but was quick to mention that a
public announcement will be made on the same soon.
“We should be going out public once we have
agreed with the stakeholders on the mechanisms and everything else,” Jiya said.
President of the Medical Doctors Union of
Malawi, Collins Mitambo, said the development was welcome and will encourage
health workers to work with passion knowing they are covered.
“We are happy because we have been complaining
about lack of insurance in terms of exposure so Old Mutual has come at the
right time. We have been asking the government to put us on insurance but they
were not committal but now Old Mutual has solved that problem,” Mitambo said.
Acting Registrar of the Medical Council of
Malawi, Richard Ndovie, welcomed the cover, saying there is a lot of
uncertainty and anxiety among medical practitioners as frontline health workers
are vulnerable to the disease. - The Daily Times
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