Day-long NHRC Open House Consultation on Health Insurance of Persons with Disabilities in Mumbai concludes

Press Release

National Human Rights Commission

Mumbai, 25th August, 2023

Day-long NHRC Open House Consultation on Health Insurance of Persons with Disabilities in Mumbai concludes

Discrimination in giving insurance coverage to persons with disabilities needs to end: NHRC Member Dr Dnyaneshwar M. Mulay

Insurance products tailored for the needs of PwDs necessary

The day-long Open House consultation organized by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Health Insurance of Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) concluded in Mumbai today. It was organized in collaboration with the National Centre for Promotion of Employment of Disabled Persons and the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India.

Inaugurating the consultation, the NHRC Member, Dr Dnyaneshwar Manohar Mulay said that 21 specific disabilities have been enlisted fit for insurance coverage, which leaves many forms of disabilities unattended for insurance coverage. It is essential to provide insurance to all persons with disabilities without discrimination. Disability has to be looked at as a condition and not as a disease. Insurance companies need to follow an accessible and affordable approach to providing insurance policies to the PwDs.

He also said that insurance products tailored to the needs of PwDs are necessary. He said that schemes like Aayushman Bharat and Swavlamban Yojana need to be extended to cover PwDs.

Dr Mulay said concerted efforts should be made to further empower differently-abled persons. He expressed the hope that such consultations will pave the way for finding solutions to the problems being faced by differently-abled persons in getting insurance.

The conference was divided into two thematic sessions. These included ‘Identification of issues of PwDs in seeking insurance facilities’ and ‘Identification of provisions and issues faced by insurance companies for providing insurance to PwDs and way forward’.

The discussions remained focused on the challenges being faced by persons with disabilities while approaching insurance providers specifically for retail policies, challenges of insurance companies in providing their policies, regulatory authorities such as IRDAI, challenges faced by insurance chain in providing end-to-end insurance services, and to discuss and promote the launch of standardized insurance products developed by IRDAI for persons with disabilities.

The participants included the representatives of the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI), Insurance Providers and Third-Party Administrators, Key members from the National Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, National Centre for Promotion of Employment of Disabled People (NCPEDP), Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Joint Secretary, Devendra Kumar Nim and other officials of the NHRC also attended the conference.

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