CHAI launches insurance scheme for priests, religious

(January 23, 2012) The Catholic Health Association of India (CHAI) is launching an insurance scheme for Catholic priests, nuns, religious and members of its institutions. The scheme will also extend to the staff of CHAI, which also includes non-Catholics. “Priests and religious are not covered under any health insurance scheme in the country, so we decided to introduce such a scheme,” said Sundar Bunga, Manager in the Strategic Planning department of CHAI. He said they plan to launch the scheme in March. The insurance plan covers hospitalization, treatment in any authorized health care institution, nursing home or hospital. Member hospitals of CHAI with 20 beds and above will come under scheme’s listed hospitals where cashless treatment will be given. If the hospital is outside the list, the insurance company will reimburse the expenses. The formulation of the scheme was in response to the resolution made at the CHAI Annual General Body Meeting (AGBM) held in October at Varanasi, which was attended by representatives from 500 institutions. The Catholic Health Association of India (CHAI) is one of the world’s largest non-governmental organizations in the health sector with nearly 3,341 member institutions.