Chronic ailments need better assistance

Dubai resident Umaima Tinwalla, who has just beaten breast cancer, said that insurance packages covering chronic disease need to be more flexible.
Even though Tinwalla did not get treated for cancer in the UAE, she used insurance to pay for her medicines. "After chemotherapy, my eyesight was affected; I got high blood pressure and several other problems and this is why I needed coverage," she said.
However, options for people with chronic disease remain limited. Since Tinwalla has a family history of cancer - with her mother and aunt also having suffered from the condition - getting a reasonably priced cover was difficult.
"The package I have compulsorily charges me for maternity, even though after chemotherapy I can no longer have children. but I am still being charged by the insurance company," she explained. "I would rather pay for chronic disease than having to compulsorily pay for maternity cover."
Maya Grifal Dulay, founder of a cancer support group called Blessed, which she founded along with two friends, said that treatment was too expensive for people recovering from cancer.
"Each individual has a personal financial requirement; insurance, though available, is too expensive," she said.
The group, with around 147 members, does not provide financial support to survivors but refers them to charities such as Friends of Cancer Patients and Red Crescent. The group also provides leftover medicine to patients to help cut expenses. Cases like Tinwalla's are many in the UAE, and as expats, they are often hard pressed to find insurance options that covers particular requirements.
"There should be an authority that can look into the affairs of expatriates suffering from chronic diseases, especially those who do have health insurance," she noted.
 
asmaalizain@khaleejtimes.com