Dhaka, Bangladesh (CU)_ Bangladesh government launched a special insurance scheme for the disabled community. Under the initiative, individuals with impairments will be covered by health insurance for the first time in the nation, allowing them to receive treatment at a reduced cost.
The insurance policy is known as Bangabandhu Suraksha Bima for Persons with Disabilities. People with autism, Down’s syndrome, intellectual impairment, and cerebral palsy will initially be covered by the insurance coverage, which was inaugurated yesterday on National Insurance Day by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina virtually launched the scheme from her official residence Gono Bhaban as part of the National Insurance Day celebration. The pilot project was initially implemented in Dhaka city, Dhaka district, and Sylhet district. Dhaka and Sylhet have a greater prevalence of autism and other neurological impairments than other districts. The initiative will be further expanded based on the results.
In the beginning, four types of impairments will be addressed at low cost. They are autism, down syndrome, intellectual disability, and cerebral palsy. However, according to Abdul Mannan, deputy director of NDDPT, there are plans to include the blind, the speech challenged, and other groups into the policy in the future.
The initiative will initially be administered by the Neuro-Developmental Disabilities Protection Trust (NDDPT) and Sadharan Bima Corporation (SBC), but will eventually be administered by all commercial non-life insurance firms. The concept was trialed in Dhaka city, Dhaka district, and Sylhet district for the disabled.
Recently, the NDDPT and Sadharan Bima signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to undertake the plan. M Mosharraf Hossain, Chairman of the Insurance Development and Regulatory Authority, and Sheikh Kabir Hossain, President of the Bangladesh Insurance Association, also delivered their speech at the event, which was held at Dhaka’s Bangabandhu International Conference Center.
