Project Funded by: Swiss Capacity Building Facility (SCBF) (August 2020 – May 2022)
Project Overview:
The Product Up-scaling (PU) project was designed and implemented to provide value-added services (VAS) by incorporating a COVID-19 insurance product along with an e-health facility for groups most exposed to COVID-19 during the pandemic.
Partners:
- Insurance Partner: Lumbini General Insurance Co. Ltd.
- Distribution Partner: MORU
- E-health Partner: Telent Pvt. Ltd. (Top Doctor Online – TDO Nepal)
Project Outputs:
- Value-Added Service: Developed by bundling an e-health facility with COVID-19 insurance.
- Capacity Building: Trained 15 partners (9 males and 6 females) on VAS administration.
- UI/UX Development: Created and executed a user interface and user experience for product administration.
- Insurance Education Outreach: Reached 158,352 people through SMS, push notifications, telemarketing, and Facebook campaigns.
Lessons Learned:
- A well-conceived design and capable execution do not guarantee success in new product introduction,
- Selling pandemic insurance during a pandemic presents unique challenges, as both supply and demand sides experience multiple risk priorities simultaneously,
- Virtual training and orientation programs were sub-optimal for transferring knowledge and enthusiasm,
- The withdrawal of the COVID-19 product with ~CHF 150 million of unpaid claims created a long-lasting national news event, demonstrating significant public interest in the industry’s actions,
- E-commerce adoption is still in its early stages, indicating a future increase in market share.
- Digital efficiency is essential to expanding access to critical health services in Nepal.