Save the Saviours! Health insurance is a must for doctors - our medical warriors

Today is National Doctor’s Day. Being a doctor is not only noble but also challenging, especially at this time, for them and their families. A big salute to all front-line warriors working tirelessly during the current situation of COVID-19. Their life is at constant risk as they are always exposed to the threat of infections and infirmity. The intensity of the current pandemic situation is high, and the Government has come up with a health insurance cover scheme of INR 50 lakh for all health workers who get diagnosed as coronavirus positive.

However, the health risk that any doctor faces is far more than infection. Especially now, for doctors, the work environment can be stressful, and they often tend to neglect their own health conditions treating their patients. These can lead to different lifestyle diseases like atherosclerosis, stroke, obesity, anxiety, etc. and the treatment for these diseases can be expensive.

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The following points need to be taken into consideration while choosing the best-suited health insurance:

1] Sum insured: Always settle for a high sum insured as health is the most important asset with which one shouldn’t be taking any chances. Also, it is important considering the current situation, if one person in the family tests coronavirus positive, the chances of other members contracting the virus are high.

2] Zero-touch insurance: Insurers provide easy online processes for buying health insurance to making a claim. Digitisation of the process means no one will have to present any physical copy of documents, and no hard copies are required, even for claims.

3] Customise the insurance: People have different lifestyles, and some are prone to hereditary illnesses. Hence, evaluating the factors, such as age, the number of members covered under the policy, medical history, add-ons purchased, any other risk of medical conditions that may incur, etc., it is important to choose the plan that provides sufficient coverage and has an affordable premium.

4] Individual health policy: While individual health insurance is advisable for all, it is more important for doctors as their risk exposure to illnesses are higher

5] Sum insured refill benefit: A policy with refill benefit will allow the insured to restore the sum insured in the policy when it gets exhausted due to incurred claims. This will ensure that doctors are never left without a health cover

6] Zone upgrade: A zone upgrade cover facilitates treatment in case the insured travels to another city. For instance, if the insured wants to move from a tier 2 city to a tier 1 city for better treatment. Doctors are on the move, and with this they can get treated wherever it is suitable

7] Cover pandemics: The most important cover that one should look for is, if their health insurance cover pandemics. Pandemics are not frequent but have become more frequent.

The health of a doctor is always of high priority and important to society. Hence, an appropriate health insurance cover for them is equally important. If they are safe and healthy, the future will be healthier, too.

(Authored by Dr. Sudha, Head, Health and Travel at Digit Insurance)