Use appropriate channels to address insurance policy — Mr Nda Ahale Polley

The Ghana Insurers Association(GIA) has directed persons who have challenges with their insurance policies to use the appropriate channels to address them in order to achieve results.

It indicated that the establishment of the Complaint Management and Advice Bureau, (CMAB) has provided customers with the opportunity to seek advice on insurance and get redress in situations where they are not satisfied with services delivered to them. 

At the just ended  three-day Graphic Business-GIA Insurance Fair which climaxed last Saturday at the Accra Mall,Mr Nda Ahale Polley,the Complaints and Claims Manager at GIA, told the Graphic Business that the bureau was to ensure that the legal and ethical standards of the industry was adhered to by its members. 

According to him this was part of efforts to build a vibrant industry and clear the negative perception of insurance in the country. 

“The bureau last year in 2022 for instance recorded about 1200 cases nationwide and successfully solved 90 per cent of these cases”, he disclosed. 

The GIA he said had realised that there were so many complains in the industry as people had trust issues with insurance companies, claims were being delayed and that the bureau was formed to help the general public solve their issues with insurance companies at no charge as compared to going in for lawyers.

Additionally, he stated that the bureau was to also aid in addressing issues between insurance companies. 

Complaints 

Some of the cases resolved he mentioned varied from delay in the payment of claims, quantum payment, customers not having enough knowledge in packages they bought, amongst other cases. 

“Probably a customer would be expecting Gh¢10,000 cedis in payment but the insurers will give them Gh¢5,000 cedis.

Here we look at the terms and the reasons why they want to give you the Gh¢5000 if its valid we advise the client takes it, if it is not valid then we ask the insurers to increase. So the cases we solve do vary”

Sensitization 

Admitting to their lack of public sensitisation on insurance policies, Mr Polley said the association as part of measures to improve that had embarked on a nationwide sensitisation programme to educate the public on the existence of the bureau. 

He added that media sensitisation was also done to create awareness on the benefits of the bureau while extensively clearing the negative perception of the industry through media jingles and animations. 

Mr Polley further encouraged the public to have trust in insurance sector and insure their properties as about four million Ghana cedis was paid daily in forms of claims to clients.

Reaction of patrons  

A publisher, Lawrence Tei who was currently under an insurance cover explained that he did so as protection and an investment however giving his opinion on the assertion that insurance was cheap he said cumulatively it was high and expensive. 

“As expensive as it is, you will pay and if there is not incident you do not get your money back and that is the disadvantage”, he added. 

Business Intelligence Analyst, Afua Mensah stated that she was not on any insurance cover because her company did not offer anything like that hence did not have much knowledge about insurance.

She however said with the information gathered at the fair, she was considering owning some policies in future.

A Salesperson, Caleb Fio said apart from the National Health Insurance Scheme, he did not have any other insurance but the fair has broadened his knowledge about other insurance policies and was willing to give them a try.