Mumbai:
Days after insurance provider Niva Bupa swiftly approved the medical insurance claim of actor Saif Ali Khan’s family following his shocking attack on him, an organization of medical professionals has written to insurance regulator IRDAI demanding “preferential treatment” of celebrities. ” has been questioned.
After Mr Khan was attacked with a knife during an attempted theft at his Mumbai home, a document of his mediclaim approval surfaced on social media. According to the document, a cashless request of around Rs 36 lakh was made for the actor’s five-day stay. In its initial approval, the insurance provider had approved a payment of Rs 25 lakh. Niva Bupa confirmed receipt of the pre-authorization request and said further claims will be processed as per the guidelines.
The Mumbai-based Association of Medical Consultants, which says it represents over 14,000 medical practitioners and has branches in several cities, has approached the chairman of IRDAI – the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India – over the cashless approval for Mr Khan’s treatment. Has written to. ,
“We are writing to express our concern and dissatisfaction regarding the recent news of Mr Saif Ali Khan being sanctioned Rs 25 lakh for cashless treatment under his insurance policy, which is higher than the benefits available to ordinary policyholders. Appears to be a preferential treatment.” The organization said in a statement.
It added, “This example highlights a disturbing trend where celebrities and high-profile individuals and patients with corporate policies get favorable terms and high cashless treatment limits, while ordinary citizens face inadequate coverage and low reimbursement rates.” struggle with.”
The Association of Medical Consultants has said that such practices create “unfair inequality”. “We believe that insurance should be a safeguard for all, irrespective of social status. Preferential treatment based on celebrity status creates a two-tier system, which is discriminatory against ordinary policyholders. In insurance claims and cashless treatment More transparency is needed before limits are set,” it said.
The organization has requested IRDAI to investigate the matter and ensure that all policyholders, irrespective of their social status, are treated equally. It has also sought guidelines to prevent preferential treatment and increase transparency in mediclaim approval.
Mr Khan was admitted to Mumbai’s Lilavati Hospital on January 16 after he sustained six stab wounds during a fight with an intruder who had entered his house to commit a robbery. Doctors have said that one of his injuries was on the spinal cord and that the knife had gone only 2 mm away from his spinal cord. Mr Khan has undergone surgery for a back injury and wounds on his arms and neck. He was discharged last week and has been advised rest for a week.
