Complaints Insurance Bureau offers hope for public
The Complaints, Management and Advice Bureau (CMAB) of the Ghana Insurers Association (GIA) has since its inception made a significant headway in resolving complaints brought before it by the public and customers of insurance companies.
For instance, over 90 per cent of about 1,200 insurance issues have been resolved at no cost to the customers.
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The Complaints and Claim Manager at the GIA, Nda Ahale Polley, said the bureau was formed about four years ago as part of efforts to make insurance the way of life for all Ghanaians and to remove the negative public perception about insurance and insurers.
At a webinar during the Ghana Insurers Association (GIA)-Graphic Business Insurance Supplement Fair in Accra, he explained that insurance customers did not need lawyers to help them resolve their complaints.
He said to help build the trust of the public in insurers and the insurance system, the CMAB embarked on a nationwide tour to sensitise the public to the existence of the bureau and how they could benefit from its services.
“Insurance is about paying claims. Insurance companies find it difficult to penetrate the market in the absence of trust. So, for the past three months we have gone round the country and we have identified a lot of issues about insurance, and we hope to solve them,” he said.
Challenges
He cited the public abhorrence for insurers and delay in the payments of claims as some of the major challenges facing the sector.
He said those could be resolved through insurance education.
“Many people buy insurance and they don’t know what they have bought and so are not sure of the kind of processes to go through when there is the need to make a claim, so it is about educating the public on insurance,” he said.
To help solve delayed payments of claims, Mr Polley said the strategy was to get liaison officers in all insurance companies who would act swiftly on such issues.
However, he said caution was taken in order to avoid fraudulent claims.
“Much as we want to help the general public solve the issues, we make sure that we are solving genuine claims,” he said.
He urged the public to build trust in insurance companies and the insurance sector.
“Averagely, insurance companies pay GH¢4 million in claims daily but most people do not know. All we can say is that the public should trust the process as we work to make insurance the Ghanaian way of life. Buy insurance and when you have any issues, reach out to the CMAB on the toll-free number,” he said.
GIA
The GIA has 53 insurance and reinsurance companies.
Currently, it has 29 non-life insurance companies, 20 life companies and four reinsurance companies.
The Fair
The three-day fair which ended last Friday was organised to create awareness of insurance among the citizenry.
The fair formed part of activities to mark this year’s Insurance Awareness Month.
It was on the theme: “Deepening Insurance Awareness to Engender and Enhance Public Confidence in Ghana.”