Insurance companies abolish physical cards in fraud fight

Insurance companies in Uganda have moved to end fraud in the medical sector by abolishing the use of physical cards to access services in various hospitals across the country.

Speaking at the Smart Access launch in Kampala, the Chief Executive Officer of Uganda Insurance Association, Jonan kisakye, insurance companies have been making 30% of losses due to fraudulent claims arising from the use of manual cards.

He explained that this had increased the cost of medical insurance because the companies had to find ways of raising enough money to cater for both the claims and operational costs.

The country director of Smart Application International, Judy Mugoya says that with the shift from physical biometric cards to virtual access, cases of fraud will be minimized because the medical service providers will be able to use a one-time unique code that will be sent to individuals contacts and fingerprints.

Uganda will thus no longer need a physical card to access health services, something she says will enable the patients to access their entire cover, package and the amount left on their account to avoid being bounced in the hospitals.

Written by Damali Mukhaye