Role of NGOs in Promoting Micro Health Insurance: A Study with Reference to ‘Sampoorna Suraksha’ Health Insurance Scheme by SKDRDP, Mangalore (India)

The insurance sector has penetrated towards many of the high-income individuals and families but was unable to reach to those poor who do not have the capacity to purchase these insurance products. Thus, it is has created a huge gap between the rich and the poor. Micro health insurance is a new phenomenon in the Indian insurance sector which is specifically designed for the poor. This insurance programme is very essential for the individuals to protect them from various uncertainties and risk. The insurance is normally a product designed for the convenience of the middle- and higher-income groups of people. The lower segments of the people are alienated from taking the insurance policies as the prices of the policies are too high and unaffordable for them. Microfinancial institutions and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that work with urban and rural poor felt the need for the security of these people. Thus, many such institutions have come forward to offer insurance facilities to the poor. They have kept policy prices low and the premium was priced according to their level of income. The Shri Kshetra Dharmasthala Rural Development Programme (SKDRDP) is one such institution which has focused on medical and hospitalization costs of the poor people. Accordingly, they designed a favourable micro health insurance product named as ‘Sampoorna Suraksha’ health insurance scheme. The scheme was introduced in the year 2004 and has witnessed tremendous progress over the years. In this article, we have analyzed the concept of micro-insurance, its development in India, its delivery models etc. We have also evaluated the ‘Sampoorna Suraksha’ scheme of SKDRDP and the progress of the insurance scheme in terms of enrolment, claim settlement, premium collection etc. The main objective of this article is to analyze the role of NGOs towards micro health insurance. In order to make an appropriate study, we have used exploratory and descriptive research methodology by taking the SKDRDP as a unit of the case study.