#Get insured Archives - Smartchoice.pk

What is not included in your Travel Insurance Policy?

Khurram Zahid — Fri, 15 Feb 2019 10:03:20 +0000

Most of the people have a travel plan already set out before they embark on their trip. A travel plan usually includes information on travel destination, flight tickets, accommodation & other bookings, tourist places to visit, places to eat, list of important documents to carry along (passport, visa, ID proof) and some small but important items that might be needed during the journey.

Now many of you might think that this list is complete but the most important item missing in this list is travel insurance. But is it important to buy travel insurance? Yes, travel insurance is one of the most essential things that you might need when travelling abroad.

An appropriate travel insurance policy can help you deal with any financial setbacks that you might face while travelling. A travel insurance plan provides coverage to you and your loved ones in the following scenarios:

• Loss of baggage (If your baggage is lost by the airlines the over-all reimbursement can be received by the travel insurance provider and the airline)
• Loss of passport (Passport is an important document, without which travelling cannot happen, if that is lost, according to your travel benefit you can file your claim for it)
• Flight delays (Flight delays can also be claimed )
• Flight cancellations (If the airline cancels the flight and you have a connecting flight that may be missed due to it)
• Hospitalization expenses (Falling ill while travelling is unexpected and undesired but if it happens, your travel insurance covers you under all-unforeseen medical emergencies)
• Medical evacuation (Medical evacuation is an option to be used in an emergency, if the situation may arise, your travel insurance covers those heavy-on-the-pocket expenses)
• Delayed baggage (your travel policy provides coverage with the delay in receiving the baggage while travelling)

Some of the insurance companies also offer features such as quick disbursement of claims, automatic claim settlement service, on-call support and many innovative travel insurance packages suiting the needs of different individuals, what one needs to make sure is that if you are travelling and you extend your travelling dates you can extend your policy by emailing/calling the provider to generate the policy extension request, you just need to produce health certificate/ fill the required form of extension of policy, your desired policy will be extended by paying the additional amount within 3 to 4 working days.
Now that you have noted the inclusions in the policy, you should also mull over the exclusions in your travel insurance policy.

What is not covered in your travel insurance policy?
Some of the general exclusions in a travel insurance policy are:

• Medical expenses incurred beyond the expiry of the policy period
• Pre-existing illnesses
• Any routine examination where there is no objective indication of impairment of normal health
• Attempted suicide or willfully self-inflicted injury or illness
• Claims made in case of injury/loss due to alcoholism, drunkenness or the abuse of drugs
• Claims made by you, if you are travelling against the advice of your doctor
• Any injury, loss, expense attributed to HIV or HIV related illnesses
• Losses due to an accident as a driver without a valid international driver’s license
• Pregnancy and related conditions like miscarriage, childbirth and abortion
• Any injury or loss due to involvement in adventurous/dangerous activities
• Experimental treatments
• Your self-carried baggage
• Partial destruction of your baggage
• Loss or damage to your passport as a result of the confiscation or detention by customs, police or any other authority

While these are some of the basic exclusions in your travel insurance policy, we recommend that you read your policy document in detail to understand your coverage’s and exclusions to avoid any inconvenience at a later stage like filing a claim, renewing or extending the policy.

Khurram Zahid

The post What is not included in your Travel Insurance Policy? appeared first on Smartchoice.pk.

5 Cleaning Hacks To Keep your Car Clean & Presentable

Khurram Zahid — Wed, 02 Jan 2019 08:19:20 +0000

Our car is our second home. However, we seem not to pay as much attention to the cleaning of our car as that of our real house, so the car often ends up being a mess and sometimes the stains just stay forever.

Thus, how to avoid that?

How to keep my car clean?

Are few of the questions that come to our mind when we see the state of our car and at the same time we also calculate the work we need to put in to keep it clean?

The car you drive symbolizes who you are, keeping it well maintained and clean or not, can give a strong impression of you. Keeping your vehicle well maintained and orderly not only gives a better idea, but it can also help your car last longer. You may be surprised at how amazing it is to drive when you keep your car clean and organized.

Cleaning your car can take a lot of time and effort. Of course, you would like to have your car looking brand new all the time. So here are some car cleaning tips that can help you get it clean and keeps it looking great easier than ever.
You have likely experienced the fact that regular day to day cleaning takes a lot less time than a once a year cleaning. It holds true in your car. If you let the mess accumulate, you will end up with a much larger project when you eventually decide to start cleaning. You can avoid this by spending just a few brief moments keeping your car clean every day. Here are several tips on how to How to keep the car clean.

Some of the cleaning hacks to maintain your car in an easy, quick way are:

DUSTY CORNERS

There are so many nooks and crannies in a car that collect dirt that you can’t even see. One easy trick is to take out anything in your car that can be removed (e.g. mats, some seats if possible) before running over the area with a vacuum. You might also want to consider investing in a detail brush, which is already designed to clean every part of your vehicle.

UPHOLSTERY (SEAT AND CARPET)

No miracle spray or power cleaners are needed. Just mix together distilled white vinegar and baking soda to form a paste. Apply to the upholstery and scrub with a toothbrush to remove stains.

DASHBOARD

To clean the dashboard and plastic surfaces of your car, you can use simple home ingredients. Mix together water, mineral oil or baby oil, and vinegar. Pour into a spray bottle and apply to the dashboard, then wipe it clean.

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You can also use vinegar to clean your tires! Just mix with water and use a rag to scrub the rims and hubcaps. This will give you the smooth ride you’ve been dreaming of!

KEEP YOUR WIPERS FROM SMUDGING

When you’re done cleaning your windshield wipers, rub them down with rubbing alcohol. This will help prevent your wipers from leaving smears on your windshield the next time you go to use them.

THINKING AHEAD

Maintaining a car is important because the main impact of it is going to be that you save money by keeping it clean and maintaining it at regular intervals, the one thing you cannot do or predict its maintenance and security is when out on the road, You cannot guarantee about the actions of other people on the road, what keeps your car secure and keeps you away from damages that may drain your wallet and leave you devastated is having a cushion against uncertainty that helps you be prepared/ protected against a certain amount paid in premiums that covers the loss of far bigger value than you pay for a year to an insurer.

So while you can use these interesting hacks that can save time and money both, we should also keep in mind our everyday struggles we go through when driving on the roads, sudden change in city conditions, unexpected weather change and last but not the least theft that can incur anytime anyplace that should be in our consideration.

Check out this video for some more easy, DIY and quick car cleaning hacks:

Khurram Zahid

The post 5 Cleaning Hacks To Keep your Car Clean & Presentable appeared first on Smartchoice.pk.

Top Five Health Threats to Pakistanis

Khurram Zahid — Thu, 20 Dec 2018 12:51:14 +0000

Statistics regarding the Population of Pakistan and Initiatives taken for health (WHO) Total population (2017) 197 Million Gross national income per capita (PPP international $, 2013) Life expectancy at birth m/f (years, 2016) male: 66/ Female: 67 The probability of dying between 15 and 60 years m/f (per 1 000 populations, 2016) male: 178/ female: 139 Total expenditure on health per capita (Intl $, 2014) 129 Total expenditure on health as % of GDP (2014) 2.6

Communicable Diseases:

Communicable diseases are spread from person to person or from animal to person. The spread of these contagious diseases or transfers can happen through the air, through contact with contaminated surfaces, or through direct contact with blood, faeces, or other bodily fluids. A cold is an example of a communicable disease (cold is the general term given to a viral infection of the upper respiratory tract) compared to some other diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis etc.

Non-communicable disease (NCD)

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are those that are not caused by infectious agents (non-infectious or non-transmissible). NCDs can refer to chronic diseases which last for long periods and progress slowly. Sometimes, NCDs result in rapid deaths seen in certain diseases such as autoimmune diseases, heart diseases, stroke, cancers, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, osteoporosis, Alzheimer’s disease, cataracts, and others. Pakistan is counted among the developing countries and faces a real threat from many curable diseases as well as the issues that arise due to climate change. The increasing rate of health issues in Pakistan is alarming. These health issues are leading to new kinds of diseases that are difficult to treat because of the lack of finances and economic conditions. Pakistan is currently ranked 122 out of 190 countries in terms of health care according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Little or no attention is paid to an important aspect which is to prioritize health above other expenses, we often set aside our financial emergency fund, but very rarely do we keep aside funds for a medical emergency or design a contingency plan for such emergency, reason is lack of awareness of different ways we can secure ourselves against any unforeseen situation or lack at times just merely the lack of intention to do so.

Dengue fever

A disease that is transmitted through mosquito bites, dengue fever is a severe form of the virus that causes migraines, chills and loss of strength and appetite. Like malaria, it is also due to the hostile climatic changes and an environment that becomes a perfect breeding ground for mosquitos.

Health care system upgradation:

In Pakistan, a poor healthcare system may be responsible for the high mortality rate from dengue in previous years. The rate of mortality can be decreased by implementing timely and appropriate clinical management, which involves early clinical and laboratory diagnosis, intravenous rehydration, staff training and hospital reorganization. The Health Ministry of Pakistan should plan health promotion campaigns to spread awareness in the community to eliminate the breeding sites of mosquitoes. Improved hygienic practices, use of personal protective measures, encouraged use of larvicides, surrounding cleanliness and treatment of undesired stagnant water should be the objectives of on-spot awareness campaigns.

Personal Protection:

Preventive measures by individuals may contribute to some safety. Protective clothing may reduce the risk of mosquito biting and therefore it is recommended to wear full-sleeved shirts, socks and trousers. Mosquito mats, coils, aerosols and repellents are largely used for personal protection. Plant extracts such as neem oil and chemicals such as DEET (N, N-diethyl-m-toluamide) are natural and chemical repellents which provide protection, while a preventive measure is also to get a health plan for your family that protects yourself and your family in the face of an epidemic by preparing against it before time by getting a “Family Health Plan” so in the time of crisis you can rush to the hospital without worrying about anything else, especially the funds arrangement, your policy card would cover all, for you.

Diabetes

Diabetes is a disease that occurs when your blood glucose, also called blood sugar, is too high. Blood glucose is your main source of energy and comes from the food you eat. Insulin, a hormone made by the pancreas, helps glucose from food get into your cells to be used for energy. Sometimes your body doesn’t make enough or any insulin or doesn’t use insulin well. Glucose then stays in your blood and doesn’t reach your cells causing diabetes and every case of diabetes is serious. What are the different types of diabetes? The most common types of diabetes are type 1, and type 2 diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes

If you have type 1 diabetes, your body does not make insulin. Your immune system attacks and destroys the cells in your pancreas that make insulin. Type 1 diabetes is usually diagnosed in children and young adults, although it can appear at any age, People with type 1 diabetes need to take insulin every day to stay alive.

Type 2 diabetes

If you have type 2 diabetes, your body does not make or use insulin well. You can develop type 2 diabetes at any age, even during childhood. However, this type of diabetes occurs most often in middle-aged and older people. Type 2 is the most common type of diabetes. According to the research conducted (Hayatabad Medical Complex, Peshawar, 2017) based on census results of 2017 for an adult population, approximately 21.9 million were suffering from diabetes mellitus (DM), which suggests the ratio of 1:7 for diabetes prevalence among the population aged 20 or above. Out of the total prevalence in the latest survey, at least 17.85 per cent of the female population is affected and 16.22 male populations are suffering from the disease. While converting data from research to real-life situations, it is known that for every known three diabetics, there were another two undiagnosed diabetics as well as two pre-diabetics. There is an increasing trend towards younger people developing diabetes as 30 per cent youngsters of aged between 20-39 years have diabetes. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National diabetes statistics report, 2017. Center for Disease Control and Prevention website, www.cdc.gov/diabetes/pdfs/data/statistics/national-diabetes-statistics-report) As you grow older from the age of 45 years onwards there are more chances that you develop type 2 diabetes have a family history of diabetes or are overweight. Physical inactivity and your lifestyle may cause the disease, you should take preventive measures against it as at times we are struck by it without even knowing it, as we grow older we should take special care, diabetes may not directly be dangerous but it can cause heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, eye problems, dental disease, nerve damage, foot problems, they happen quite unexpectedly and at that time having much cash at hand is difficult due to the expenses we incur in our everyday life, plans like “PARENTS CARE” by Jubilee insurance that children can buy for their parents for the unforeseen situation, whereas this plan that has been specifically designed for Parents, keeping in mind the age and issues that comes with it, the plan also covers pre-existing conditions that come with the phase, making it an ideal plan for the parents and loved ones. Over time, having too much glucose in your blood can cause health problems. Although diabetes has no cure, you can take steps to manage your diabetes and stay healthy.

Blood Pressure

Normal blood pressure is vital to life. Without the pressure that forces our blood to flow around the circulatory system, no oxygen or nutrients would be delivered through our arteries to the tissues and organs. You can have high blood pressure or hypertension and still feel just fine. That’s because high blood pressure often does not cause signs of illness that you can see or feel. But, high blood pressure, sometimes called “the silent killer,” is very common in older people and a major health problem. If high blood pressure isn’t controlled with lifestyle changes and medicine, it can lead to stroke, heart disease, eye problems, kidney failure, and other health problems. High blood pressure can also cause shortness of breath during light physical activity or exercise. The National Health Survey of Pakistan estimated that hypertension affects 18% of adults and 33% of adults above 45 years old. In another report, it was shown that 18% of people in Pakistan suffer from hypertension with every third person over the age of 40 becoming increasingly vulnerable to a wide range of diseases. It was also mentioned that only 50% of the people with hypertension were diagnosed and that only half of those diagnosed were ever treated. Thus, only 12.5% of hypertension cases were adequately controlled. Some High Blood Pressure Risks You Can’t Change Anyone can get high blood pressure. But, some people have a greater chance of having it because of things they can’t change. These are: Age: The chance of having high blood pressure increases as you get older. Gender: Before age 55, men have a greater chance of having high blood pressure. Women are more likely to have high blood pressure after menopause. Family history: High blood pressure tends to run in some families. Blood pressure can cause some far-reaching problems to a person and it is wise for an individual to be covered against all the health issues e.g.: Blood pressure, Cardiac Arrest etc. that may arise with time.

Cancer (Lung and Breast Cancer)

Breast Cancer:

Breast cancer is a very serious health risk for women throughout the world, it is estimated that 1 in 9 Pakistani women develop breast cancer at some stage of their life. Experts say that the increase in the cases of breast cancer is also because most patients delay getting help. They consider it against society’s norms to inform others about the disease or delay seeking help due to psychological barriers. Having a contingency plan is having a policy or a plan that acts as a cushion for an individual to ensure the access to best possible health facilities, for example, treatments like Surgery, Radiation therapy, Chemotherapy, and targeted therapy without adding more trauma to the stress that an individual is already dealing with and to make sure that one shall not have to bear the horror of losing a mother, a sister, a wife or a daughter as women in every role are precious, for these beautiful souls Jubilee insurance has come up with a plan that is especially for them “HER CARE” a plan that focuses on women and the essentiality of a custom/tailored plan that is just right for “HER” and address the needs and issues of women.

Lung Cancer

In Pakistan every year 90,000 breast cancer cases are reported in the country and over 40,000 deaths are caused by it, Pakistan has the highest rate of breast cancer in Asia, though early diagnosis and proper treatment can save lives and make a difference. Lung cancer takes the lives of 100,000 people every year in Pakistan, and almost 90% of the cases are caused by chain smoking. In South Asia, Pakistan has the highest consumption of tobacco. Today, lung cancer is one of the major causes of death all over Pakistan. It is prevalent in men as well as women, smokers as well as non-smokers. What’s more, is that the survival rate of lung cancer is extremely low. However, there is still hope as renowned institutions and hospitals are using the latest studies and advanced technical facilities to develop cures for this deadly disease, Treatment required: Surgery, Radiation therapy, Chemotherapy, and targeted therapy and these treatments can be pretty heavy on the pocket and can be exhausting and extensive as well, with the emotional strain it’s an additional burden that is the monetary expense but that burden can easily be transferred by just putting little funds aside in the form of a policy, that is investing in a “policy” being responsible for our self probably getting a “Personal Health Care plan” it’s just like keeping the parachute under our seats while flying even though we may not need it even once for the flight, so buying a policy would also be like transferring risk to a third party against a little amount that you pay.

Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis is a disease of poverty and poor, malnourished, diabetic patients using corticosteroid drugs, drug addicts, smokers, elderly, HIV-infected patients, alcoholics and people living in overcrowded institutions like a prison. A large number of people infected with the tuberculosis bacilli were not diagnosed earlier because of a lack of awareness about the seriousness of the disease. The delay in diagnosis along with unsupervised, inappropriate and inadequate drug regimens, and poor follow-up even leads to death. TB is a lung disease that is contagious and spreads by coughing and sneezing. Pakistan ranks 8 out of the 22 countries in the world that are most highly prone to tuberculosis, according to WHO. Tuberculosis can occur in the pulmonary (lungs), respiratory, and central nervous system as well as meningitis (brain), bones, joints and other organs. Annually around 430,000 people including 15,000 children contract tuberculosis in Pakistan and every year no less than 70,000 deaths can be attributed to the disease in the country. Pakistan is also estimated to have the fourth highest prevalence of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) globally. Over 95 per cent of tuberculosis deaths occur in low and middle-income countries. Tuberculosis is a treatable disease with a six-month course of antibiotics. However, prevention is better than cure. It can be prevented by BCG vaccination and by awareness-raising campaigns on a mass scale. If somebody has the symptoms of tuberculosis, one should report to the nearest health care centres to get his or her mucus tested free of cost. Tuberculosis patients should not be stigmatized and must receive full support from family and community. To reduce the prevalence of the disease in Pakistan there is an ample need to increase awareness among the public, especially among the youth through mass media and other social media channels to have the message reach large audiences. These are some of the major health threats that are faced by every Pakistani; there are multiple factors responsible for such diseases, environment, lifestyle, sanitation, unclean water, over-population, depleted un-hygienic conditions and many other factors act as an incubator to such diseases, penetrating in the society affecting the people’s health as well as their pocket expansively. An ideal solution or the best alternative to this is to “Get Insured” It will be your cushion against any such health issue that you may encounter and would ease of your financial burden in the face of an emergency.

Khurram Zahid

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