Greetings from RELIGARE HEALTH INSURANCE COMPANY LIMITED

My name is S. Edwin Albert. I am employed with M/s. Religare Health Insurance Co. Ltd. as Health Planner. I hail from Tiruchirapalli, Tamilnadu, South India.

I am writing this blog in order to share certain health facts and create an awareness with respect to health. A saying goes,” If Wealth is lost, nothing is lost, If Character is lost, something is lost, If Health is lost, then everything is lost ”.  I am a very small content writer and hope this content of mine will be an eye opener to many in India.

Many of you , who are reading this article of mine, might be having a health insurance policy with some company or the other. And some might not be having one. People who are having health coverage will be having different strata health coverage like having 99% coverage, 80/20 coverage,70/30 and so on.  Overall they have some sort of medical coverage which will come in handy at times of emergency.

I would like to focus on people who don’t have medical coverage or those people who are not interested in taking a health coverage. There might be numerous reasons for not having a medical coverage. Financial constraint, helplessness( in case of old age people ), little or no awareness of the risks we are facing today are some of the factors and to some extent unforeseen reasons. I would like to throw some light on each of the aspects :

·         FINANCIAL CONSTRAINT

·         HELPLESSNESS

·         NO AWARENESS

FINANCIAL CONSTRAINT : Financial constraint is one of the factors which might restrain someone not to go in for a health coverage. There are different kinds of people in our society. The earning factor differs from person to person. Those who have a decent earning have the privilege to enjoy most of the benefits what the world has to offer them. Wherein, those who are in a lower strata can’t afford to enjoy these privileges. They may want to have one but are not in a position to get access to these benefits.

HELPLESSNESS: A situation where one cannot have access to certain benefits all by themselves.  Either they are old aged or they might have some kind of medical condition. They always expect someone to help them out. They are dependent and not self dependent. Someone needs to assist them in making decisions on taking a health policy.

NO AWARENESS : Little or no awareness seems to be the major factor that is contributing to people not taking health insurance policies. Everyone in this world wants to be a happy person. He or she wants to be well settled in life. Get married and have a happy family. Want to see their spouse / husband and their kids healthy, safe and sound. For parents, kids are the apple of their eyes.

We, as parents, want to give the best to our children. But the question is are we ? are we safe ? are our kids safe ? are we aware of the dangers lurking in our society in terms of food, habits and environment ? are we shaping a better world for our children to live in or are we doing injustice to our children ? Is the future of our kids safe ? are our kids safe at school? Are our kids safe in the neighborhood ? are our kids safe at home ? are we eating a healthy food ? do we have control on our body mechanism ? Can we boast that we can face crisis all by ourselves without the help of others ?  are we leading a healthy life? What if an emergency occurs in my family ? am I ready to face it ? do I have to run to someone for help or do I have enough financial resources to tackle the situation ? A MILLION DOLLAR QUESTION TO ANSWER.

Little knowledge is too dangerous. The art of knowing facts and realities is only a drop in an ocean. Sometimes, what we think we know need not be true. The actual truth might be hidden from all of us. In that case, how do we survive ? very simple. We need to be very open in receiving truthful facts. Sometimes, the truth is not a truth at all. It is a pseudo truth. Something like wolf in a sheep’s skin. Take for instance the food factor. It is the most essential ingredient in our life. But are we aware of the truth’s behind food and food materials ? frankly speaking YES and to a major extent NO.

The food intake practices have changed drastically over the centuries. In our younger days, the food what we used to eat was a lot more healthier than what we and our kids are eating today. Our ancestors gave more importance to nature and nature products. The diet consisted of fresh vegetables, fruits, grains, cereals , pulses, dairy products and poultry products. Attention was focused more on the health aspects rather than filling. What has happened now ? the healthy days have gone past. We hear a lot about organic products. Is it real or is it being marketed in that manner to derive more commercial benefits ? I wish to make mention of a few products which used to be 100% healthy products then( in our younger days and not now ).

·         Sea foods like fish, prawns, crabs and mussels

·         Poultry products like egg and poultry meat

·         Dairy products like milk, milk cream, butter and cheese

·         Animal products like meat, animal fat and sausages

·         Vegetables, fruits, cereals, pulses, millets and greens

·         Value added products of fruits and veggies like jam, sauce and pickle

·  Value added product of cereals like all purpose flour, pasta. Noodles and tastemakers.

Our food taking pattern has changed a lot over the years. We rely more on instant foodies and goodies. Corporate branding is playing havoc in our lives. Corporate cold war in on. Our country has food safety regulatory board to monitor all the products that are being manufactured or marketed in India. Does that mean that there is no discrepancy or let loose situation in the assessment, inspection and enforcement of  strict guidelines for the manufacturing and food processing units. A question that needs to be addressed. Most of the products contain preservatives, food colours, food additives, food enhancers and food essence. Manufacturing and food processing units adhere to government norms but are the foods safe for consumption. ???? we need to think wisely before we take firm decisions with respect to food and food derivatives.

Lot of studies and statistics show that our younger generation is being carried away by media advertisements and commercials. Our kids are becoming victims of slow poisoning. Unknown medical situations are on the rise. Uncertainty, fear, restlessness is sure to rule the hearts and minds of parents. Premature deaths and cancer is on the rise. Carcinogenic chemicals is slowing getting accumulated in our body and degrading our health from the inside. The day is not far when it will break open . We will run out of remedy.  It is we who have to take a wise judgment on this issue. Our parents gave the best for us and it is our foremost duty to give the best to our kids. It is we who have to create a better world for our kids to live in.  They are innocent and they cannot judge between healthy and non - healthy food products. Not only by giving them good, safe and healthy food to eat but also to educate them on the health hazards certain food products pose.

Life has no guarantees. No one knows what is going to happen next. No one knows when an emergency may arise in one’s family. It may or may not arise. But “ IF IT HAPPENS “, what are we going to do ? do we have adequate protection ? I would suggest you go in for a family health insurance coverage. You might ask me, “ is it a must that I should get myself and my family medically insured “ ? my answer is yes. In our country, vehicle insurance is mandatory. Health insurance is not mandatory. A second question,”do I have a choice”? no, you don’t have. You never know what awaits you and your family the next second, the next minute, the next hour, the next day, the next week , the next month or the next year. BEING SECURED IS WELL SECURED.

Religare Health Insurance is there to assist you in times of crisis. A company with a medical background. UNION BANK OF INDIA and CORPORATION BANK OF INDIA are the major share holders. Over 6000 network hospitals across the country. FORTIS HOSPITALS is Religare’s own hospital. Religare has its own diagnostic centre spread across the country. One of the TOP 6 health insurance companies in India. 100% cashless medical coverage( upto 61 years). Coverage starts from 31 days baby to 100 years old person. Has medical coverage for DIABETIC people on INSULIN with a waiting periof of 2 years. There’s a lot more you benefit. want to know more about what RELIGARE offers you,

Edwin @ your service on Mobile No. 9159031729 ( same no. for whatsapp also) / mail id : edwinalbert1729@gmail.com

Thank You