Category Archives: Consultant

Salaries have been late for the past few months and now the office rumour mill is awash with gossip about impending layoffs and pay cuts. With the rising cost of living, Semakula’s current salary does not meet his most urgent needs and yet he cannot afford to lose his job. The pressure is beginning to feel unbearable, and it is getting harder to concentrate on basic tasks or to fall asleep at night. When he does fall asleep, he experiences violent dreams that would wake him up in a panic, with intense fear, his heart racing, culminating in day long migraines.  A once highly motivated young professional with awe inspiring dreams and aspirations, he is now just barely making it through the day. A colleague at work noticed the change in him and suggested that Semakula seek medical attention. He laughed it off saying to himself that he could handle the situation; that is until he was rushed to hospital with severe chest pain and difficulty breathing.

World Health Organization’s (WHO) definition of health looks beyond the absence of disease or infirmity to a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being where individuals are able to reach full potential, cope adequately with stress, work productively and are contribute to community positively. Mental health is therefore an integral and essential component of health.

Globally, the COVID-19 pandemic has created a mental health crisis, fueling long and short-term stress thereby compromising the mental health of millions. Increased social and economic inequalities, extended conflicts, violence, and public health emergencies such as Marburg Fever, Cholera and Ebola affect whole populations, threatening progress towards improved well-being.  Following the pandemic, depression grew by 23% in sub-Saharan Africa (The Lancet,2021) with most individuals undiagnosed and untreated leading to extreme complications of depression such as suicide.

In Uganda, mental, neurological and substance use disorders are a major public health burden (Mugisha et al., 2019). Mental health illnesses lie along a spectrum with some signs being covert and others only visible when one is pushed to extremes when stressed.  Depression, anxiety disorders, and elevated stress levels are the most common, sometimes leading to suicide (Farzaei et al., 2016). Uganda is ranked among the top six countries in Africa in rates of depressive disorders (4.6%; Miller et al., 2020).

Mental illnesses require treatment and support the same way as physical illnesses such as HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis. Mental illness continues to be marred by myths and misconceptions including having a supernatural cause, witchcraft, and spiritual problem, instead of a disease that can be treated and managed if and when diagnosed and managed professionally. More often than not, the affected people resort to isolation and suffering in silence rather than seeking medical help. Among the challenges faced by the people with psychosocial and mental disorders in the communities include financial constraints, discrimination, stigma, fear of violence and inadequate availability of essential drugs.

There is evidence that demonstrates a correlation between the rise of the Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) and the state of mental health. Mental health therefore has a crucial role in the primary prevention of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV).

Each one of us is somewhere along the mental health spectrum of experience that ranges from excellent mental health on one end and severe debilitating symptoms on the other, and we should endeavor to promote good mental health practices such as normalizing seeking health care services when needed and working to reducing stigma associated with mental health. Mental health care must be strengthened so that the full spectrum of mental health needs is met through a community-based network of accessible, affordable, equitable, quality services in partnership with both the public and private sectors.

Breast cancer is one of the commonest cancers affecting women; unquestionably, this calls for urgent attention by the government and health care providers. Simply put, Breast Cancer is a disease in which cells in the breast grow out of control.

Worldwide, October is breast cancer awareness month; this month is recognized every year for the past 37 years. This year 2022‘s theme is “Together We Rise”.As AAR Medical Insurance, we are happy to contribute towards the cause of increasing education and awareness of this global crisis. We are here to encourage everyone, male or female to embrace timely screening. Early screening avoids so many complications that come with late diagnosis. As one way to rise in the fight, through our medical drives, we always ensure to avail free screenings for non-communicable diseases and all women-related illnesses.

Global research indicates that 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. And that, in the next couple of decades, much of the incidences and mortality related to breast cancer will be seen in underdeveloped societies because of poor healthcare systems. For such reasons, at AAR Health Services, we studied and understood the communities we serve through our affordable insurance solutions. In addition, we offer free breast health education to the underserved on issues that include women’s health. The most recent one was the medical drive that was held in Bugolobi market, in partnership with Rocket Health. This drive saw over 500 people receive free medical services, these beneficiaries included market vendors.

Below are some of the symptoms to watch out for;

• New lump in the breast or underarm (armpit).
• Thickening or swelling of part of the breast.
• Irritation or dimpling of breast skin.
• Redness or flaky skin in the nipple area or the breast.
• Pulling in of the nipple or pain in the nipple area.
• Nipple discharge other than breast milk, including blood.
• Any change in the size or the shape of the breast.
• Pain in any area of the breast.

To reduce the risk of Breast cancer; these are some of the things you need to do;

• Limit alcohol.
• Maintain a healthy weight.
• Be physically active.
• Breast-feed.
• Limit postmenopausal hormone therapy.

8^th – 11^th August. Bugolobi, Kampala. AAR Medical Insurance in partnership with Rocket Health Uganda and Kays Dental Clinics organized a week long medical camp that saw a total of over 500 people that included market vendors in Bugolobi market and the neighboring communities receive free medical services.

Among many others, the free medical services offered included testing for non-communicable diseases like HIV, blood pressure and blood sugar tests as well as free dental checkups. On top of all this was the offering of insurance literacy training. Recent news reports have revealed that Medical Insurance is the fastest growing branch of Insurance in Uganda. However, the fact that there is still a big percentage of the public that has not yet embraced the importance of medical insurance cannot be ignored hence the need for continued literacy.

Speaking at the Medical Camp, Leila Kamulegeya, the Public Relations Executive at AAR stressed the importance of health care and health camps. She stated that, “Health is invaluable wealth and it is important that we all put it before anything else. When opportunities like this are presented, always endeavor to participate in the exercise.”

On the fifth and final day of the Medical Camp, as part of the activities, the staff of AAR proceeded to refurbish the zebra crossings a few meters from Kiswa Primary School in Bugolobi. As is known, the zebra crossing is to improve and create a safe environment for the pupils at Kiswa Primary School and all road users.

Recently, AAR Medical Insurance launched a new product called “AAR Medcare Hospital Cash” that caters for a specific demographic “Omuntu Wawansi”. This insurance package is intended to serve as a subsidy for incidental expenses incurred by individuals during hospitalization.

At AAR, the people in the communities within which we serve are vital to our long term strategic plan and service delivery.

The day began as usual with Samantha seated on a motorcycle taxi, commonly referred to as a boda-boda, rushing to make it to work on time. On her mind was how she was going to magically make the UGX 50,000 in her pocket last until pay day which was ten days away. Suddenly, a large lorry swerved into their lane forcing her rider to brake abruptly.  Samantha and the rider were both thrown off, and the motorcycle landed with a crush on her foot. Samantha was in excruciating pain as good samaritans lifted the motorcycle off her leg.  As luck would have it, an old schoolmate witnessed the accident as he drove by, and hurried to assist. Samantha was rushed to one of the leading health facilities where she was immediately admitted on presentation of her health insurance card. Her treatment which included a foot fracture surgery was covered by her provider. To Samantha, the private, prepaid, medical insurance cover provided by her employers, was indeed a life saver.

Health has been described as the first wealth. Like Samantha, no one plans to get hurt or fall sick, but serious ill health can happen to anyone at any time. Provision of quality health care which may include costs such as surgery, medication, tests, scans, emergency care, consultation fees and others, can be very expensive putting enormous strain on one’s finances.

As a concept, insurance works by pooling together the resources of a large number of people with similar risks to make sure that the few people who do experience loss are protected.

Health insurance is a legal agreement between you (an organization or individual) and a health insurance company. This insurance covers the whole or a part of the risk of an insured person’s incurring medical expenses as stipulated in the policy document. The insurance works either through reimbursement of the insured’s costs incurred or direct payment made to the care provider.  Health insurance organizations offer differing healthcare plans with a wide range of features.

Uganda has a health insurance coverage of less than 2%, mainly driven through employer and community-based schemes. She has some of the highest out-of-pocket costs for health in the East African Region. This means that in the event of an illness or injury of one’s self or a loved one, the cost for treatment is usually met through savings, selling of property, fundraising or borrowing. In March 2021, the Parliament of Uganda passed a national health insurance bill that outlines the general structure for a first-ever national social health insurance scheme. The scheme will increase access to quality health care for more people in Uganda and cushion against the high cost of care offered by private healthcare providers. The Insurance Regulatory Authority of Uganda (IRA) is advocating for expedited operationalization of the bill.

Samantha is fortunate to be one of the few people with a comprehensive medical cover through her employer. She has made a full recovery and is back on her feet at work.

Insurance provides an important financial safety net, hedging against the risk of a contingent or uncertain loss (Insurance Regulatory Authority of Uganda – IRA). Although the concept of pooling resources to mitigate uncertainties or calamities such as healthcare expenses, education, floods and famine has been practiced by most communities in Uganda, modern day insurance is largely underdeveloped presenting boundless opportunities for improvement. Insurance penetration remains at below 1% compared with South Africa (16%) and Kenya (3.4%).

The beginning of the Uganda’s insurance industry dates back to the late nineteenth century with insurance written by branches of foreign companies which were mainly British, American and Indian. In 1948, the first local insurance company, East Africa General, was formed. This was followed by the then fully state-owned National Insurance Corporation (NIC) in 1964. In 2017 a new Insurance Act, (Insurance Act, 2017) was enacted and IRA started licensing banks as Bancassurance Agents following the amendment of the Financial Institutions Act.

Uganda has experienced steady growth in her insurance market. The number of licensed players in the industry, insurers (both life and non-life insurers), insurance intermediaries (such as brokers, agents, risk advisors, loss assessors, bancassurance agents, third party administrators and reinsurance brokers) has grown from eighty-six (86) in 2014 to a hundred and thirteen (113) in 2019, an 131% growth in five years. The aggregated industry Gross Written Premiums (GWP) have continued to grow from UGX 463 billion in 2013 to UGX 1064.9 billion in 2020, a 230% growth in seven years. The Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs) experienced growth from 56 UGX billion in 2013 to 75.5 UGX billion in 2020 but the growth rate slumped from 30.9% in 2018 to 10.1% in 2019 to a negative growth rate of -0.7% in 2020. The three leading HMOs by market share are the International Air Rescue (42.8%), AAR Health Services (40.33%) and International Medical Link (9.32%)

A growing middle-class with disposable income and improvement in risk cautiousness amongst the population as a result of increased public sensitization campaigns by the various insurance sector stakeholders, provided a consumer base for the various insurance products. Steady growth in the insurance industry has also been driven by an increased demand for personal accident and health insurance and a rise in large infrastructural projects in the country. Individual life insurance is the fastest growing market sector and has realized consistent growth from 2012 to 2020.  Similarly, deposit administration has also enjoyed steady growth. Group life and medical insurance have experienced volatile trends in GWP movement over the last three years.

The Insurance industry has remained on a positive growth trajectory despite numerous challenges brought about by the COVID 19 pandemic. The Geneva Association’s The Global Risk Landscape after COVID-19: What role for insurance, identified four important transitions that companies will face as a result of the pandemic: strengthening digitization in insurance, growing the role of the public sector, shifting towards sustainability with governments committed to ‘building back better’ and embracing a remote workforce. IRA is promoting the transformation of insurance operating and business models through investment in artificial intelligence, machine learning and other innovations in order to make the insurance value chain robust, efficient and streamlined.

References:

Opportunities and challenges to innovation in the Ugandan insurance market, June 2021

COVID-19 Impact Survey for The Insurance Sector IN UGANDA. IRA, October 2020

Annual Insurance Market Report 2020, IRA

Insurance Outlook Report 2020/21, East Africa, November 2020, Deloitte