Insurance products for child born with birth defects soon: Sanjay Datta of ICICI Lombard

Insurance companies will soon extend coverage for unborn child detected with disabilities or birth defects. The development assumes significance as insurance companies do not have products catering to children who are detected with congenital diseases or carry some kind of illness before their birth.  

It has often come to the fore that mothers with such children terminate pregnancy in lack of insurance product and massive treatment cost for children born with such issues.  

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But this is about to change as insurance companies will soon launch products for children born with congenital diseases and to cover their surgical cost.  
Sanjay Datta, Head of underwriting & claims, ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company, on Tuesday told Zee Business that insurance companies will soon launch products to cover such children.  

As per a report, as many as 17 lakh children are born with birth-related defects. "According to March of Dimes (2006), out of every 100 babies born in this country annually, 6 to 7 have a birth defect. This would translate to around 17 lakhs birth defects annually in the country and accounts for 9.6% of all the newborn deaths," said Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) in a report.  

RBSK is an important government initiative aiming at early identification and early intervention for children from birth to 18 years to cover 4‘D’s viz. Defects at birth, Deficiencies, Diseases, Development delays including disability. 

The Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India, under the National Health Mission launched the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK), an innovative and ambitious initiative, which envisages Child Health Screening and Early Intervention Services, a systemic approach of early identification and link to care, support and treatment.