Diabetics now covered with Sri Lanka Insurance

Wednesday, 15 November 2017 00:01 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Till now, diabetes was one of the main barriers for health insurance policies in Sri Lanka. However, all that will change with the launch of the Sri Lanka Insurance Comprehensive D+ policy on 14 November to coincide with World Diabetes Day.

Now, diabetics too can live with peace of mind as this hitherto ignored group is also covered under the Sri Lanka Insurance umbrella. According to this policy, a diabetic with the Comprehensive D+ plan who has to be warded in a private hospital will find that it’s possible to get a reimbursement on their total hospitalisation bill up to a predetermined limit which could be Rs. 200,000, 400,000 or 600,000. The customer has the freedom to decide to pay the premium monthly, quarterly, biannually or annually.

Hospital room charges, operation theatre and ICU charges, medical practitioners’, consultants’ and specialists’ fees as well as nursing expenses are among the benefits covered by the policy.

Comprehensive D+ is open to those between the ages of 30 and 60 and is renewable until a person reaches 65 years of age. Extending the policy to cover one’s spouse is another option. The health cover can also be obtained with Divi Thilina, Minimuthu, Minimuthu Parithyaga, Minimuthu Dayada, Praguna, Yasa Isuru, Freedom and Janadiri insurance policies of Sri Lanka Insurance.

World Diabetes Day is celebrated annually on 14 November. The main activities related to the event are organised by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF). The special day was created in 1991 by the IDF and the World Health Organization (WHO) to draw attention to the serious health issue diabetes has become and the risks it poses to global populations.

According to the Diabetes Association of Sri Lanka, there are over four million diabetics in the island with the South-East Asia Region being home to almost one-fifth of the world’s diabetics. The number of people who become affected by this lifestyle disease is increasing by the day with more young people and more urban populations being diagnosed with the condition on an increasing basis.

Diabetes is one of the four main non-communicable diseases to affect people throughout the world and is expected to become the seventh leading cause of global deaths by 2030, according to the WHO. Food habits, being overweight, lack of exercise and genetic factors are believed to be the main causes of diabetes.