Better health for
for your info
your domestic help For most of us, our domestic helps are critical to
managing our household work better and we recognise their importance. We try to help them over and above their monthly wages, with tea, food, old clothes and festival gifts. However, the major difficulty they face is in managing their and their family’s health care. Their living conditions may make them easily susceptible to illness and they are often hospitalised for a day or two, and end up spending a few thousand rupees that is way beyond
and her family. If she had provided me with her BPL (Below Poverty Line) card, the premium would have been meagre `150 per annum; unfortunately she does not possess a BPL card. Her other employers in our apartment, where Sushila Amma does housework, also agreed to share the premium cost. This is something we can do in a small way that can have significant impact on the lives of our daily help. Sushila shares this information to her fellow maids and
Sushila Amma with her Insurance card (left) with Urjita Lolla. Pic courtesy: UL. their paying capacity. These women usually manage by taking a loan either from us, their employers, which we may grudgingly give, but mostly by borrowing from private money lenders at astronomical interest rates. For my housemaid, Sushila Amma, I have taken a medical insurance and personal accident policy for her family of four by paying a premium of `450 per annum under Universal Health Plan from Oriental Insurance Co Ltd. She gets coverage of Rs 30,000 annually for her
Universal health Insurance is one of the insurance schemes announced by central government in their budget two years ago. This type of policy is sold only by public sector insurance firms like Oriental Insurance, National Insurance, New India Assurance and United India Insurance. The requirement for getting a policy is a photo ID and address proof for the major members of family and photographs of all members for getting photo card for cashless hospitalisation from TPA (Third party Administrators). For postal address, employers can give their home address, so that getting courier will not be a problem. For UHI Policy from Oriental Insurance, you can contact Koramangala Office: Raghuram Shetty, Branch Manager. Ph: 25634469 (dir), 25631719.
neighbours, which in turn creates better awareness of health plans. The vulnerable class is not often aware of many government schemes, due to their illiteracy or lack of access to information. It is our responsibility to educate, not necessarily en masse but atleast individually, the people we deal with, like domestic maids, drivers, milk suppliers, carpenters, security staff, house keeping staff etc. ⊕
Urgita Lolla is a accountant and resident of Gottigere.
Vol-2 Issue-23 18 - 31 Dec 2010 CITIZEN MATTERS 9