Relief for cancer patients as firm launches Sh750,000 enhanced medical cover
Kenyatta University, Teaching, Referral & Research Hospital Radiation Oncologist Tracy Irura operates a Linac Accelerator machine at the hospital’s cancer ward on February 3, 2022.
What you need to know:
- Kenya continues to face a growing demand for cancer treatment, with its very limited supply capacity for diagnosis and treatment posing serious healthcare policy challenges.
- According to experts, poor infrastructure, shortage of skilled personnel, lack of proper community awareness and late cancer diagnosis is costing the country lives of many children.
Relief for cancer patients as firm launches Sh750,000 enhanced medical cover
Kenyatta University, Teaching, Referral & Research Hospital Radiation Oncologist Tracy Irura operates a Linac Accelerator machine at the hospital’s cancer ward on February 3. Photo | file
BY LEON LIDIGU
Cancer patients can breathe a sigh of relief after Old Mutual Business launched an enhanced medical cover with the inclusion of critical illness insurance benefit. This means that customers under the Afya Imara family cover will obtain access to a cash benefit of Sh750,000 upon a first diagnosis of a critical illness such as cancer.
A first diagnosis means taking a medical history and performing a physical examination, medical procedures, laboratory tests as well as other diagnostic tests and procedures necessary for the diagnosis of a condition and possible treatment.
In the past, the critical illness benefit was not embedded in the conventional medical cover and hence customers had to seek alternatives such as fundraisers and offloading their assets to pay off hospital bills, derailing their financial stability. “In this market-first solution, Afya Imara family cover’s customers will have peace of mind in the event of critical illness diagnosis. In addition to what is already covered within the product offering for these illnesses, the enhanced cover will now provide a cash pay-out of Sh750,000 on first diagnosis of specific critical illnesses, including cancer, stroke, heart attack, kidney failure and paralysis,” Old Mutual told Healthy Nation.
Speaking during the launch, the Head of Customer Experience & Retention Old Mutual General Insurance and Health Business Ken Omami said they are determined to transform lives as many Kenyans are grappling with the burden of cancer.
“For all levels of inpatient cover, Old Mutual Insurance will pay a cash lump sum of Sh750,000 if the policyholder or any of their covered family members is diagnosed with any of these illnesses. This benefit will go a long way in bridging the gap between the inpatient sub limits for newly diagnosed chronic illnesses and the costs of treatment,” noted Evans Manduku, the general manager for Life Distribution.
Kenya continues to face a growing demand for cancer treatment, with its very limited supply capacity for diagnosis and treatment posing serious healthcare policy challenges.
According to experts, poor infrastructure, shortage of skilled personnel, lack of proper community awareness and late cancer diagnosis is costing the country lives of many children.
In a study published in October last year in the journal Cancer, the cost of childhood cancer treatment was found to be highest in Kenya compared to Tanzania, Nigeria, or Zimbabwe. Four leading childhood cancer treatment facilities were assessed, each from the four countries, with Kenyatta National Hospital sampled for Kenya.
“The most expensive cost input was found to be associated with medication in Kenya,” concluded the study.
Medication
Experts highlighted that cancer medication accounted for nearly 40 per cent of the total costs in Kenya, which is a substantially higher than that of any of the other centres. The cost per new diagnosis ranged from Sh264,360 ($2,400) in Zimbabwe to 10 times higher, at about Sh3.4 million ($31,000), in Kenya. “The cost of cancer treatment in Kenya is high because patients choose to stay in hospitals after being treated,” said Prof Jessie Githanga, a consulting oncologist at Kenyatta National Hospital.
“That increases the cost because not only are they accumulating bills, but also because their caregivers, parents or relatives add to the financial burden. The Sh3.4 million per cycle of treatment means that the whole costing is very expensive compared to some of our neighbouring countries,” she noted in an interview with Healthy Nation.
Prof Githanga points out that another consequence of the high cost of cancer medicines in the country is that more than half of the patients are likely to abandon treatment.
“Abandonment represents a major cause of treatment failure in low- and middle-income countries, with rates of between five per cent and 80 per cent.”
She explains that the high rate of abandonment of treatment is partially because many patients have no insurance cover.
Old Mutual says their product enhancement is a collaboration between the Old Mutual General Insurance Business, which offers the Afya Imara family cover, and Old Mutual Life Assurance Kenya, which will underwrite the critical illness insurance benefit.
Unlike Afya Imara, Britam has a cancer cover that is designed to pay a lumpsum payout upfront on diagnosis of cancer.
“For example, a 30-year-old male who would like a Sh 1,000,000 benefit for a five-year period would be required to pay a monthly premium of Sh271 only,” Britam notes while ICEA Lion explains that their cancer cover is a financial planning solution that pays you in cash.
“It may be easily confused with your medical insurance that covers you for cancer treatment rather than pay you in cash to use as you deem fit. The payout can be used for actual treatment if your medical cover is insufficient or to meet your financial obligations that you may be unable to meet as a result from your incapacitation from the illness,” the official website highlights.
