Insurers now to include preterm babies on mother’s insurance

Business Reporter

Mwananchi Communications Ltd

What you need to know:

Insurance companies that provide health insurance cover the mother alone, in the event of premature birth the family is forced to pay cash for all the expenses, after realizing the challenge now the costs will be incorporated into the mother card.

Dar es Salaam. The Association of Tanzania Insurers (ATI) has agreed to include the costs for pre-term babies on the mother's insurance. The aim is to reduce the burden on families with such children whose needs are special and expensive.
Insurance companies that provide health insurance cover the mother alone, in the event of premature birth the family is forced to pay cash for all the expenses, after realizing the challenge now the costs will be incorporated into the mother card.
Speaking at the event founder of the Doris Mollel Foundation Ms Doris Mollel said “For us it a great thing that gives us comfort because for a long time we have been asking these insurance companies to help with that but it was not easy but after explaining the challenges they finally agreed.”
According to her, usually a baby born prematurely needs to stay in the hospital for at least one month so that it can gain the required kilos.
She said last year in collaboration with the parliamentary committee for social welfare service, and the foundation launched a pre-term babies campaign, it was then that they agreed to include those costs in their insurance.
She said they could say at the moment it is not possible because the business is not doing well due to Covid-19 which caused losses to their companies but they have accepted it as a good achievement to the foundation in ensuring that children born before time or less weight survive instead of dying.
For his part a Pediatrician at the Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH) in the Neonatal Unit Dr Robert Moshiro said “These children after birth stay in hospital for a long period of time so there must be a cost, although it depends on the hospital that the mother is admitted in.”
“If they are in government hospitals insurance will help the family to reduce costs, so the hospital also reduces the cost burden as they will be reimbursed, if the companies agree it is a big and positive step in an effort to save the life of these babies,” he said.