Accra, Aug. 23, GNA – The Ghana Insurers Association (GIA) on Friday launched its newly created “DriveTime with Insurers” radio programme, to educate the public and stakeholders on the importance of signing onto an insurance policy.
Mr Kofi Andoh, the Deputy Commissioner of the National Insurance Commission, said the education was important because until people got full understanding of insurance offerings they would not appreciate it.
He said over 90 per cent of people were of the view that without a lawyer, they could not make a claim, which was false.
However, he explained, it was the conduct of some insurance companies; claimants were forced to go in for lawyers.
Mr Andoh advised
players in the insurance sector to desist from the misconduct and attend to
claimants who consulted them over claims without lawyers.
Mr Andoh explained that insurance was a legal contract between an insurance company and the claimant, and it was unfortunate how people lacked education about insurance.
“People don’t know that if a driver without a license knocks someone with a car, the person would not be paid claims by the insurance company. Claims payment is our business so it is important that we go about it collectively as players in the insurance sector,” he said.
The Deputy Commissioner advised the companies to treat customers well as frustrations could give customers bad impression about insurance in general.
Mr Andoh encouraged claimants to visit the National Insurance Commission or write their complaints in the form of a letter and address it to the Commissioner of Insurance, who would in return contact and support them.
Mr Mawuli Zogbenu, the Chairman of the DriveTime Committee, explained that specialised topics would be discussed on air with selected media channels within the 13-week period.
“For instance, if you have an insurance policy on your car and you sell that car out, the insurance policy ceases. It means that, there should be change of ownership and the new owner should take his own insurance policy on that vehicle,” he said.
Representatives from the 53 insurance companies and four reinsurance companies in the country, he said, would facilitate the education on the radio programme.
Mr Zogbenu said lists of selected media channels, days and time for each of episode of the programme would be made known to the public later.
Ms Aretha A. A. Duku, the President of the GIA, said the programme would help to save the good name of insurers.
The National
insurance Commission report in 2018, she said, indicated that insurance
penetration reduced by about one per cent in 2017.
This, she said, was due to a number of challenges the insurance companies faced, hence, the need for the education to address them.