Medical insurance takes an immense load off our shoulders
Svasti Microfinance, India - A hospitalisation for Vandana's husband was not the major financial hurdle it could have been
My name is Vandana Rajesh Bhave and I work as a domestic helper and my husband has a house renovation business. We live in a joint family of 6 people and have been taking loans from Svasti Microfinance for 2 years.
I was diagnosed with kidney stones in 2015 and my hospital bill added up to be ₹ 25,000 (300 USD), at that time. We financed the expense by borrowing money from our relatives and paying that was a big-time struggle for us.
At that time, we were not aware of what medical insurance is and never knew our medical expenses could be covered through insurance. But when my neighbour—who is also a Svasti customer—told me about the medical insurance, I insisted on adding it when our second cycle of loan was approved.
A couple of months ago, my husband got into an accident and was hospitalized. Our bill came out to be ₹ 80,000 (950 USD), I called our relationship manager immediately after my husband’s discharge to claim the Insurance. He guided us to complete the claim process and soon my account was credited for ₹ 33,000 (400 USD)
It was an immense load off our shoulders, and we will now always take medical insurance cover to act as a financial support to our family during financial crises.
People like me are not aware of health insurance benefits and often look at it as an additional expense. But as my experience taught me, it is a financial support and I will keep encouraging others to take medical insurance.
- Vandana Rajesh Bhave
About Svasti Microfinance
Svasti Microfinance provide affordable financial services to women living in slum communities in urban and semi-urban areas in India. Abler Nordic first invested in Svasti in 2018, supporting their vision of fulfilling every woman's right to finance.
