National Insurance Commission holds forum in Koforidua

The National Insurance Commission (NIC) on Wednesday held a public forum in Koforidua to educate the public on the importance of Insurance Policies.

Mrs Emma A. Ocran, Director, Legal Services of the NIC, said while insurance plays an important role in the advanced countries the reverse is what pertains in Ghana.

She noted that many Ghanaians felt reluctant to take up insurance policies due to lack of confidence they had in the industry.

Mrs Ocran noted that hitherto the insurance industry was associated with fraud and delays in payment of claims among other things but with the setting up of the NIC in 1989 all those malpractices had ceased.

She charged insurance companies to abide by all rules and regulations to win the confidence of the public, adding that, anyone who had a complaint with an insurance company should not hesitate to contact the NIC to have the issue addressed.

She said motor claims should be paid within a maximum of 90 days after the person had submitted all his documents.

Mr Eric Brako, an Insurance Manager of the NIC, mentioned the three existing Motor Insurance as Comprehensive, Third Party Fire and Theft and Third Party.

He urged vehicle owners to renew their insurance policies as soon as they expire, saying, “you will not get any compensation when driving with an expired policy and you get involved in an accident”.

Mr Kwesi Tsibu Yirenkyi, Eastern Regional Manager of the Road Safety Commission, said the region ranks third in road accidents out of the 10 regions.

He said 55 people were killed in road crashes in the region within the first quarter of this year, adding that, they record about four pedestrians knock downs every week.

Mr Yirenkyi encouraged driver unions to adopt management systems to help minimize road accidents.

Source: GNA