Dubai: A new insurance plan for UAE employees will offer up to Dh75,000 compensations for families in case of the death of the insured due to natural or accidental causes.
The was revealed on Tuesday by the Indian Consulate in Dubai which facilitated the launch of the new plan by two insurance companies in the UAE to help families of blue-collar workers without a life insurance plan.
The Indian mission said it coordinated with the two insurance companies and major employers in the UAE for the launch of a “Life Protection Plan” after observing that natural death of Indian blue-collar workers who die here had not been covered under existing insurance policies.
While the insurance plan has been launched primarily to support the blue-collar workers, companies are free to extend the coverage to all the employees. The 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 repatriation of the mortal remains of the insured employee.
Why was it mooted?
There are around 3.5 million Indians residing in the UAE, out of which around 65 per cent are blue collar workers. They form one of the largest group of migrant workers in the UAE, the consulate pointed out.
It said the mission registered a total of 1,750 death cases in 2022, out of which around 1,100 were workers and in 2023 around 1,000 deaths were registered for workers from the total count of 1,513.
“It has been observed that in more than 90 per cent of the cases, the cause of death is natural. It has been noticed that most of the companies are insuring their employees under health insurance and workmen’s compensation [work-related injuries and deaths]. However, there is no mandatory insurance coverage for the natural death of employees, and hence the legal heirs/dependents of the deceased do not receive any compensation in cases of natural death,” the mission pointed out.
To address this, the consulate said it facilitated a joint meeting between the major companies recruiting Indian blue-collar workers and the insurance service providers Gargash Insurance Services LLC and Orient Insurance PJSC to arrive at an insurance package, which could cover both natural and accidental death.
Terms and conditions
The terms and conditions and the modalities on how it will be implemented were worked out between the companies/employers and the two insurance service providers.
Following the meeting and based on the feedback received from the companies, the two insurance companies have agreed to issue Life Protection Plan [LPP] for the blue collar workers and other employees covering death due to any cause (natural and accidental) with the following benefits, the consulate stated.
Benefits covered
* 24 hours worldwide coverage for employees having UAE employment visa;
* Death due to any cause (natural and accidental)
* Permanent total / partial disability due to accident
* Repatriation expenses (death only) – up to Dh12,000 per person
* Age Limit from 18 to 70 years
Sum assured and anual pemium
Dh35,000 per person Dh37
Dh 50,000 per person Dh50
Dh75,000 per person Dh72
Ensuring welfare
Commenting on the launch of the plan, Consul General of India in Dubai Satish Sivan said: “Welfare of the Indian community remains our utmost priority. Keeping in view the large number of natural death cases of workers in a year and in order to provide some financial benefits to the family of the deceased in the event of natural death, Consulate General of India, Dubai, encourages all companies to consider subscription to the Life Protection Plan [LPP] that is available at a minimal premium of Dh37 per annum.”
The Life Protection Plan [LPP] is effective from March 1, 2024. For further details about the Life Protection Plan, please contact at email id: lifeprotect@gargashinsurance.com and phone no. 0527172944/0526167787.
