Do I Really Need A Medical Insurance Plan For Vector-Borne Diseases?
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Vector-borne diseases are illnesses spread by vectors such as rodents, flies among humans. Examples of vector-borne diseases are malaria, dengue, swine flu. While these diseases may appear innocuous, they are deadly in nature. According to the World Health Organization, vector-borne illnesses constitute over 17% of all infectious diseases, leading to over 700 000 deaths in a year.
Over the last couple of years, the number of cases of dengue have increased in India. According to National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP), over 188,000 cases of dengue were reported in the country in 2017. Earlier, the disease mostly spread during monsoon, but in some parts of India it is transmitted through the year. Another deadly virus that has been causing panic in India is H1N1 or swine flu. As of October 2018, 5,651 cases and 464 deaths due to H1N1 were reported. In another news, the nation was gripped by the spread of the Zika virus in 2018. This was the third outbreak in two years, and over 250 cases of Zika virus outbreak were reported from three states alone. While Zika virus has not known to cause deaths in India, it can lead to temporary paralysis in adults, which can cause further neurological problems. The biggest culprit is malaria. According to World Malaria Report 2018, while there was a decline in malaria cases in 2017 from 2016, India still accounts for 4 per cent of the total malaria cases reported in the world.
While vector-borne diseases are quite common, these statistics reveal that these diseases are not to be taken lightly. Most of the vector-borne diseases start by exhibiting flu-like symptoms due to which proper diagnosis and treatment is not sought in earlier stages. A lot of times we avoid going for check-ups fearing medical expenses, and are of the belief that the illness might take care of itself. However, if not treated properly and on time, some of the vector-borne illnesses can result in death or other serious conditions.
A health insurance cover provides us some sort of assurance that during emergencies of medical nature our finances won’t be impacted greatly. Of course, this also depends on the type of health insurance we choose. However, we usually only think of using health insurance for critical illnesses or for grave ailments in which hospitalization is required, but what about vector-borne diseases which are sometimes treated at home? In fact, even diagnosing and treating a mild form of a vector-borne illness can cost one thousands of rupees, and if the illness is found to be severe, healthcare costs can run into lakhs. This can impact one’s finances considerably, and sometimes even force patients and their families to borrow money. Apart from dealing with a health crisis, one is forced to also deal with a financial crisis. So, wouldn’t it be nice if you had an exclusive health insurance cover for vector-borne diseases? Fortunately, there is a special medical insurance cover for vector borne-diseases that covers dengue, leptospirosis, Zika fever, malaria, swine flu, chikungunya and encephalitis.
In today’s time when vector-borne diseases are spreading so rampantly, and their treatment can burn a hole in one’s pocket, a special health insurance cover for vector-borne illnesses is needed.
The special health insurance policy for vector-borne diseases not only covers pre- and post-hospitalization expenses but also pays for out patient department (OPD) and at-home treatments. Therefore, this special health insurance policy for vector-borne diseases will also help people that suffer from mild form of the illness and don’t require hospitalization. The health insurance plan for vector-borne disease also covers OPD expenses including Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy (AYUSH) treatments.
You might say that you don’t need a special health insurance policy for vector-borne illnesses as you already have a standard health insurance policy. However, since a health insurance cover for vector illnesses is cheaper than a standard health insurance policy, you can use the former to make claims for vector-borne illnesses, and accumulate your No Claim Bonus discount on the standard health insurance policy.
The only condition to buying the special health insurance cover for vector-borne diseases is that you should not be suffering from the diseases covered by the policy. You are not required to take any medical tests to buy the health insurance plan cover.
Also read our blog on Why You Should Buy The Health Insurance Cover For Dengue
The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the artefact above are for marketing purposes only. Before concluding the sale, please refer to policy wordings and prospectus