{"id":3723,"date":"2008-08-13T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2008-08-13T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/psi2030.wpengine.com\/psiindia-launches-health-insurance-for-hiv\/"},"modified":"2018-05-22T22:27:53","modified_gmt":"2018-05-22T22:27:53","slug":"psiindia-launches-health-insurance-for-hiv","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.psi.org\/pt\/news\/psiindia-launches-health-insurance-for-hiv\/","title":{"rendered":"PSI\/India Launches Health Insurance for HIV+"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"insurance-india1.jpg\"
\nRepresentatives of District Networks of Positive
\nPeople in Karnataka State receive the insurance
\npolicy at an official ceremony.<\/div>\n

BANGALORE, India, August 13, 2008 \u2014 PSI, in partnership with Star Health and Allied Insurance Company and the Karnataka Network for Positive People (KNP+), introduced India’s first ever group health insurance plan for people living with HIV today. More than 250 People Living with HIV (PLHIV) from six districts in the southern state of Karnataka are enrolled in the program.<\/p>\n

This innovative initiative is supported by USAID under Project Connect, a program designed to build public private partnerships to combat HIV and tuberculosis in India. The partnership is a model example of how a public-private partnership can address the needs of people living with HIV\/AIDS. It is a model that will hopefully serve to encourage other public\/private insurance providers to enter the field of community-based health insurance, a relatively new concept in India.<\/p>\n

PSI assisted Star Health in fine tuning the insurance policy to suit the needs of PLHIV, PSI\/India Program Director Sanjay Chaganti said. “Further, working in close partnership with the KNP+, PLHIV across the state were educated and mobilized to enroll in this insurance scheme,” he said.<\/p>\n

\"india-mobilization2.jpg\"
\nAn outreach worker educates people about the
\nnew policy at a community mobilization meeting. <\/div>\n

K Sujatha Rao, additional secretary for India\u2019s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and director general National AIDS Control Organization (NACO), called the initiative “a first step to breaking down financial barriers of PLHIV’s in accessing treatment.”<\/p>\n

V Jagannathan of Star Insurance said the initiative “will not just pilot what kind of insurance schemes fit the needs of HIV patients, but also enable the private insurance sector to offer need-based community-led health insurance schemes.”<\/p>\n

According to USAID\/India Mission Director George Deikun, the agency’s support of Project Connect “has spurred the private sector to address the critical insurance needs of people living with HIV.”<\/p>\n

Asha Ramaiah, general secretary of KNP+, added, “I am glad that finally an insurance company has come out with a policy for us. It’s a milestone in the fight against the discrimination of people living with HIV.”<\/p>","protected":false},"template":"","related_countries":[],"related_projects":[],"news_category":[],"health-area":[],"capabilities-and-cross-cutting":[],"class_list":["post-3723","news","type-news","status-publish","hentry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t