Every Kenyan is guaranteed emergency medical attention according to the Kenyan constitution. But we all know that that is not the case. We’ve all heard of cases where people in distress have been turned away from hospitals for lack of funds to pay deposits and overall medical bills. One of the major causes of medical emergencies is road accidents. With more than 15 Million matatu and bus trips a month in the country, things unfortunately go south in terms of road safety and we have witnessed many deaths and permanent disabilities.
In partnership with the Matatu Owners Association, Resolution Health has designed the Ziara cover – an affordable 24 hour cover for public transport users in case of the need for emergency medical services. The pilot for this cover was done with 4NT, a well-known and well organized matatu SACCO.
The concept of Ziara is simple. All a passenger needs to do is purchase a Resolution Health band for Kshs 70/-, activate it and pay via mobile money. That band is the actual policy and each has a unique number which is an identifier in case of an accident. Only after activating the band and making the payment is the client insured. The policy lasts 24 hours and will continue to be valid even if the user changes matatus as long as all the travel period is within 24 hours. This policy is for people traveling 40km and above.
Ziara does not remove liability from the Matatu owners. What it does is take care of the golden hour – the hour between the accident and getting to hospital. How patients are handled in this hour can mean the difference between living with permanent disability or living at all. This is the hour that Resolution Health seeks to cater for with the introduction of the Ziara cover.
What happens when you have purchased and activated the Resolution band?
In case of an accident, the hospital will receive the patient, see the band and they’ll key in the number on the band. They will offer emergency medical services and also notify the next of kin. After this emergency treatment, the patient is then free to graduate to any other existing medical cover in case further treatment is required.
Remember, purchasing the band is not enough. For the polity to work, the user must activate it.
What do you get from the Ziara cover?
- Emergency medical treatment upto a limit of Kshs.150,000/-
- A last expense of Kshs.30,000/- in case of death
- Ambulance services to transfer a patient from the accident scene to a hospital
How do you register the Resolution Health Band?
- Identify a Ziara agent or dealer. They’ll be at bus stations and matatu termini and later on even in petrol stations.
- Purchase your Ziara cover for Kshs.70
- Dial *830# and follow the prompts to register your cover.
- Pay for your Ziara cover bia paybill number 872629. Use the serial number on the band as the account number.
The cover is only valid in case of a road accident and excludes illness or accidents that had occurred elsewhere.
Safe travels!