‘Janashakthi Green Light’: A life insurance policy for those diagnosed with HIV

Thursday, 1 December 2016 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

In a breakthrough move in the life insurance sector, Janashakthi Insurance introduced the ‘Janashakthi Green Light’ policy, a life cover for those diagnosed with HIV.

The policy was launched in 2015 with the aim of addressing the rising number of HIV positive individuals in Sri Lanka, by deciding to take a ‘zero discrimination’ stance as an insurance provider towards HIV affected persons.

The number of HIV positive individuals in Sri Lanka has seen an increase in recent times. At end 2014, it is estimated that over 3,300 people are living with HIV, according to data from the National STD/AIDS control program. 60% of reported HIV cases are males, and more than half are from Colombo - the economic capital of Sri Lanka. Under reporting of cases is mainly due to low awareness on how HIV is spread, and barriers in terms of seeking services due to stigma and discrimination.

Across the life insurance industry, there is a long standing practice called ‘HIV exclusion’. This means that all claims stemming directly or indirectly from HIV affected patients will not be covered under the life policy. Considering that HIV prevalence is increasing and that it affects individuals who are also economically viable, Janashakthi understood that there was a need for an insurance product catering specifically to HIV positive individuals in Sri Lanka.

Janashakthi Founder C. T. A. Schaffter, also acclaimed as ‘The father of insurance’, began showing his support towards a society free of HIV discrimination from the very beginning. As a result, over the years, Janashakthi continued with the same belief and proceeded to become the first insurer to omit the exclusion of HIV positive individuals from their basic life cover from the organisation’s inception in 1994.

Janashakthi enhanced their support towards this cause by taking a giant step forward and launching ‘Janashakthi Green Light’ on 1 December 2015, coinciding with World Aids Day, a day in which people worldwide step forward to join the fight against HIV, while commemorating the lives of those who have succumbed to the disease. With the launch of ‘Janashakthi Green Light’, the company became the first and only insurance provider in the whole South Asian region to offer life assurance to people living with HIV.

The ‘Janashakthi Green Light’ policy is intended to encourage people diagnosed with HIV to seek early treatment and ensure that they continue it.