Lidwala Health notes that neigbhouring countries such as Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa average a penetrative rate of 14-20%, yet Eswatini is still at around 6%. Lidwala Health is underwritten by Lidwala Insurance Company, which currently has a market share of 25% in the space.
Photo Credit:https://lidwalainsurance.com/
By Ntokozo Nkambule
The penetrative rate of medical aid in the country is only 6%. This was disclosed by the General Manager (GM) of Lidwala Health, Ntokozo Ndzabukelwako during the launch of their medical aid product last week.
He said one of the reasons they have launched Lidwala Health is because of the gap they have noted, as most emaSwati do not have access to high-quality health care. The GM said the reason the penetrative rate is so low is that having medical aid is expensive in the country, as a result, they have also had to be highly strategic about their offering which aims to cater to all emaSwati.
He added that the penetrative rate as a percentage of the population of the country lags compared to neigbhouring countries. “Our neighbhours such as Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa average a penetrative rate of 14-20% yet Eswatini is still at around 6%. This just shows how far we have to go as a company and country, but it also presents an enormous opportunity. However, this requires strategic ways to solve because you will note that the reason most emaSwati do not have medical aid is that it is costly” he said.
Moreover, the experienced GM observed that Lidwala Health is underwritten by Lidwala Insurance Company, which has a market share of 25%, both in terms of gross written premiums and assets held. He posited that such was important to show that they have a healthy balance sheet and their re-insurance programme is quite strong
Lidwala Health products are available in the country and can also be accessed throughout South Africa. Ndzabukelwako said going forward they are looking at penetrating the entire Southern African Development Community (SADC) region.
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