A SBI General Insurance study on claimed data has revealed that five per cent of its total health insurance claims were related to waterborne diseases.
Five percent of all insurance claims are due to water-related ailments
A SBI General Insurance study on claimed data has revealed that five per cent of its total health insurance claims were related to waterborne diseases.
The report released on World Water Day to spread awareness on diseases and ailments, has studied insurance claims between financial years 2015-16 and 2017-18.
According to the study, 38 per cent of the claims for waterborne diseases were made by the millennial population during this period. This was followed by the age group under 5 years of age, which comprised 17 per cent of the total claims. This may be due to improper hygiene, contaminated food and water, the report observed.
The study further revealed that waterborne diseases like typhoid-related fever, gastroenteritis, acute gastroenteritis, diarrhoea and dysentery-related ailments made up for maximum claims during this period. Typhoid topped the list with 79% of all claims for waterborne diseases.
Sukhesh Bhave Deputy Vice President - Accident and Health Claims of SBI General Insurance, said, “It is the constant endeavour of SBI General to make the masses cognizant of the importance of healthcare.”
“With the help of this study, we aim to spread awareness about the increasing incidences of waterborne diseases, especially in children and the youth. Making up majority of claims for waterborne diseases, the millennial generation is more likely to be exposed to risk of contamination as they often have eating habits that may include contaminated food and water,” he added.
Bhave said that ailments like dysentery and diarrhoea constituted 3.7 per cent of waterborne disease cases,witnessing a gradual decrease in the number of claims over the last three years. “Improving one’s hygiene and sanitation habits like washing hands before eating and using clean utensils go a long way in avoiding these ailments,” he added.
The study highlighted that the majority of claims for waterborne diseases were paid from metropolitan cities, but a year-on-year rise can be observed in the number of claims from non-metros. About 56 per cent of the claims for waterborne diseases were paid by males and 43 per cent by females during this period.
“World Water Day, celebrated in March every year, is a constant reminder of the diseases and ailments that can affect us due to lack of awareness and precaution. It is an ideal platform to educate and spread awareness on the importance of keeping these ailments at bay,” Bhave said.