Doctors' body writes to IRDAI over 'preferential treatment' to Saif Ali Khan in getting mediclaim approval

An organisation of medical professionals has written to the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) questioning the "preferential treatment" received by celebrities after actor Saif Ali Khan's medical insurance claim was swiftly approved by insurance provider Niva Bupa.

This comes after the actor was stabbed inside his home on January 16 during a robbery attempt. Soon after his admission in Lilavati hospital, a picture of his mediclaim approval emerged on social media, as per which the actor claimed around Rs 36 lakh insurance for his treatment and the insurance provider approved Rs 25 lakh.

"We are writing to express our concern and dissatisfaction regarding the recent news of Mr Saif Ali Khan being sanctioned Rs 25 lakhs for cashless treatment under his insurance policy, which seems to be a preferential treatment compared to the benefits available to the common policyholders," NDTV quoted the Mumbai-based Association of Medical Consultants as saying.

They also mentioned in their statement the "troubling trend" where celebrities and high-profile individuals are receiving favorable terms and higher cashless treatment limits as opposed to ordinary people who have to struggle with with insufficient coverage and low reimbursement rates.

Calling this practice an "unfair disparity", the Association of Medical Consultants wrote: "We believe Insurance should be a safeguard for all, irrespective of social status. Preferential treatment based on celebrity status creates a two-tier system, which is discriminatory against ordinary policyholders. There is a need for greater transparency in how insurance claims and cashless treatment limits are determined."

Demanding guidelines to prevent any preferential treatment and enhance transparency in mediclaim approvals, the organisation has urged IRDAI to investigate the matter and make sure that all policyholders are being treated equally irrespective of their social status.

Meanwhile, Mumbai police suspect more than one person may be involved in the Saif Ali Khan stabbing case, in which a 30-year-old Bangladeshi national has been arrested. The police had cited suspicion about the involvement of more persons in the crime as one of the grounds for seeking the arrested accused's custody in the remand application, the official said without elaborating further on the matter.

(With PTI inputs)