Insurance scheme for Indian expat workers in UAE expanded with new Dh32 plan

Dubai: A new insurance plan for UAE employees will offer Dh35,000 in compensation for families in case of the death of the insured due to natural or accidental causes.

The new plan was launched as the Indian Consulate in Dubai expanded the “Life Protection Plan” it had mooted last year for blue-collar Indian expat workers in the UAE.

The new group protection scheme was announced by the Consul General of India in Dubai, Satish Kumar Sivan.

He said the Consulate has tied up with Dubai National Insurance (DNI) and their brokers Nexus Insurance Brokers for expanding the “Life Protection Plan” which it had started with Gargash Insurance Services and Orient Insurance.

The Consulate had mooted the Life Protection Plan after noticing that most companies provide insurance coverage for their employees under Health Insurance and Workers’ Compensation, which covers work-related injuries and death, while there was no mandatory insurance policy for natural deaths, leaving the legal heirs or dependents of deceased employees without any compensation in such cases.

Nominal premium

“At a very nominal premium, it gives very critical support to the families of labourers who unfortunately pass away, covering the natural death scenarios which happen not just in the UAE, not just when they are at work, but also wherever they are in the world,” said Sivan.

The plan covers workers aged from 18 to 69 years for a sum assured at Dh35,000 for a premium of Dh32 for 12 months.

It covers partial and full disabilities and repatriation of mortal remains, which, he said, is a critical ele-ment for the worker’s family to have a last glimpse of the departed family member.

The consulate is bringing together companies/ employers and the insurer in the interest of the Indian workers who form a large portion of the more than 4.3million-strong Indian expat community in the UAE.

“We encourage employers to look at this proposal with a positive outlook, because it is going to benefit your own members, and it is quite a competitive cost and I am sure this will benefit a further group of employees who are not covered under life insurance,” Sivan added.

Senior executives from the companies said the plan, primarily launched for Indian blue-collar workers, can be extended to all workers.

All full-time employees as per company employment list matching with the list of the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation and are actively at work on start date are eligible, they said. Howev-er, some groups of workers with high-risk jobs are excluded.

While death by any cause and permanent total disability due to accident are covered for the total as-sured sum, up to Dh12,000 will be offered for repatriation of mortal remains. It also covers permanent partial disability due to accidents with a maximum limit set as per the continental scale of benefits.

The previous companies’ plan covers employees aged between 18 to 70 for annual premiums ranging from Dh37 to Dh72. The death of workers due to natural or accidental causes is assured from Dh35,000 to Dh75,000 based on the premium. The plan also offers a Dh12,000 coverage for repatria-tion of the mortal remains of the insured employee.

The Consul General said those plans would run parallel to the new one and companies are free to choose among them.