Microinsurance Research Unit (MRU) of Institute of Microfinance (InM) and Community Health Foundation Bangladesh (CHFB signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for a pilot implementation of Micro Health Insurance (MHI) packages targeted at the poor which effects from June 20, 2011 and last until June 30, 2013, and may be extended by mutual agreement among both parties.
Dr. Md. Mosleh Uddin Sadeque, Interim Executive Director, InM, signed the MoU on behalf of InM, and Dr. K. M. Anwarul Haque, Executive President, CHFB, signed the MoU on behalf of CHFB. Professor Syed M. Ahsan, Visiting Fellow, InM, and Dr. Rasedul Huda, Deputy Director, CHFB, witnessed it on behalf of InM and CHFB respectively.
The MoU provides an outline to guide pilot implementation of MHI activities between CHFB and InM. Healthcare network will be made available through an association of ‘MHI Hospitals’. Presently, it would include the Community Based Medical College Hospital, Mymensingh. The primary focus of the MoU is to make treatment available at an affordable cost to the insured, to seek collaboration of NGOs and other community based organizations, and to create proper marketing channel of the MHI products or packages developed by InM and CHFB jointly. The project would also seek additional partners (such as drug companies, insurance agencies, etc.) for providing complementary support and seek fund from outside for research and implementation activities.
Dr. Md. Mosleh Uddin Sadeque expressed that the MoU would facilitate health services to the insured people specially the poor at an affordable cost and numerous opportunities for further development in the field of micro health insurance. Dr. K. M. Anwarul Haque also expressed his eagerness about this new partnership and said that collaboration between CHFB and InM would help implementing the microinsurance endeavor in the country.
