Motivate people about insurance: PM urges companies

Laying emphasis on massive publicity to motivate people to expand insurance coverage in the country, prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday urged the insurance companies to provide services giving the customers’ interest utmost priority.

‘Insurance is a service-oriented profession. Both the government and non-government insurance companies have to work with regulatory authority in combine to make it popular and bring the services at people’s doorstep, alongside giving the customer’s interest highest priority,’ she said.

The premier was addressing the opening ceremony of National Insurance Day-2021 at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre, joining virtually from her official residence Ganabhaban. She asked the insurance companies to make the people aware of insurance that they will get facilities in their bad times through opening insurance policies.

‘You [companies] have to conduct more mass campaigns so they (people) become inspired about insurance,’ she added. National Insurance Day-2021 was observed on Monday in the country in a befitting manner with the theme of ‘Mujib Borsher Ongikar, Bima Hok Sobar’.

On the day, four eminent personalities were given special honours for their significant contribution to the insurance sector. On behalf of the prime minister, finance minister AHM Mustafa Kamal handed over the crest of honours to the recipients, and distributed Bangabandhu Education Insurance to four students.

A total of 50,000 students are being given this Bangabandhu Education Insurance. Senior secretary of Financial Institutions Division Md Ashadul Islam delivered welcome address at the function with Mustafa Kamal in the chair.

Bangladesh Insurance Association president Sheikh Kabir Hossain also spoke on the occasion. At the function, a documentary on the insurance sector was screened.

The prime minister said insurance would be more important with the expansion of the country’s economy and that’s why the insurance companies should pay more concentration on awareness building among the people. Sheikh Hasina also stressed the necessity of timely payment clearance from the insurance companies, saying that ‘it has to be ensured that people get insurance money as per their insurance or actual damage.’

In the country some people, she said, have the tendency to collect more money from insurance companies through artificial accidents. Although this type of tendency has reduced or stopped at this moment, but the companies should pay heed to it and send skilled and efficient people for inquiry, she added.

The prime minister referred to the time befitting initiatives of government on insurance through the implementation of National Insurance Policy-2014. She said they have introduced expatriate worker insurance for migrant workers and crop insurance on a limited scale for hoar people so they can overcome the damages caused by flood and other natural disasters.

‘Health insurance needs to be launched on a massive scale in the country.  Our people are not well aware but I hope they will become aware after the COVID-19 pandemic,’ she continued. The premier extended her gratitude to the Insurance Development and Regulatory Authority as it introduced ‘Bangabandhu Education Insurance’, ‘Bangabandhu Security Insurance’ and ‘Bangabandhu Sportsmen’s Comprehensive Insurance’ on the occasion of Mujib Borsha.

Source: New Age Business