In the last 2 months with the coronavirus pandemic, various COVID19-specific products have been brought in by insurance companies in the market. While most of them are aimed at covering treatment costs if someone gets infected, none of them actually help to deal with the anxiety and answer the most pertinent questions that most people have today.
The COVID-19 insurance products that are currently in the market are looking at covering for the policyholder if he/she might contract the disease and therefore, incur medical costs. Having said that most people are now worried about questions like ‘Do I have the virus?’, ‘Is my sore throat a symptom of coronavirus?’, ‘Do I need to get tested?’, ‘Is going for a test risky?’, ‘What precautions can I take at home? and so on. People are also scared of visiting a doctor and finding it out.
To help with such people who are being anxious than sick, Acko insurance has launched a free doctor consultation on-call service to support people through these times. One can avail of the service after taking their COVID-19 symptom checker. With this, anyone can share their concerns with a qualified doctor. This can be done all from the confines of their home, and receive appropriate medical advice instantly. Based on the WHO and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare guidelines, the AI-based symptom checker has been curated by a team of doctors.
Biresh Giri, Appointed Actuary, Head of Product Development and CRO, at Acko, said “Right now, even with a minor flu-symptom people are getting anxious, and causing panic. Now is not the time to add to the anxiety by saying ‘you need coronavirus insurance’. The insurance regulator has already clarified that COVID-19 will be covered, if people have health insurance. Therefore, this development will ease people’s fears and assist them in getting medical attention promptly, and to support the potentially burdened public healthcare.”
It is a do-it-yourself tool, that enquires about common symptoms of infection relating to COVID-19, such as cough, fever, sore throat, chest pain or difficulty in breathing, weakness, travel history, etc. After this, it shows a risk assessment instantly – low, moderate or high risk. After that, depending on the severity, it immediately facilitates a telephonic consultation with a doctor to further discuss the symptoms and next steps that the individual should take.
