Insurer donates policies to front-liners

MANILA, Philippines — One of the largest insurance companies in the country donated P75 million worth of life insurance to doctors, nurses and medical support staff who are directly involved in the fight against the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

Sun Life Financial-Philippines Foundation Inc. (Sun Life Foundation) said it would donate 3,000 digital life insurance policies, called Life Armor, to various hospitals in the country in partnership with Lazada Philippines.

“Filipinos in the medical field are working doubly hard and putting their lives on the line to protect the rest of us from COVID-19. It is only fitting that we also protect them and look after the welfare of those who are most important to them: their families,” Sun Life Philippines chief executive and country head as well as Sun Life Foundation chair Benedict C. Sison said.

Lazada member

We earnestly hope that Sun Life’s simple gesture inspires our health workers to keep fighting because brighter days will soon be upon us,” Sison added.

The policy, worth P25,000, covers life, accident and illness insurance so long as the insuree is a registered member of Lazada Philippines, the company said in a statement.

Sun Life Foundation also recently donated 3,000 personal protective equipment and other medical needs to hospitals such as Philippine General Hospital and the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine.

The insurer announced the donation as the Association of Health Maintenance Organizations of the Philippines Inc. (AHMOPI) assured their clients of COVID-19 coverage, with nearly round-the-clock assistance also available for customer concerns.

“COVID-19 is covered and patients in hospitals are treated from the onset of symptoms of severe colds and cough, sore throat, fever, chills, malaise, diarrhea, etc., until they are well and discharged,” AHMOPI executive director Carlos D. Da Silva said in a statement.

About seven million Filipinos were currently covered by HMO plans, Da Silva said.

Work continues

“So far so good, as far as real-time service delivery is concerned,” Da Silva said, adding that HMO personnel continue to work in hospitals and others working from home to serve their needs.

AHMOPI includes more than 1,700 institutional health care providers and more than 40,000 physicians across the country.

Da Silva said AHMOPI was cooperating with the Insurance Commission, which during the past two weeks provided relief not only to industry players but also sales agents and plan/policyholders. INQ