WaterAid facilitates families of dead sanitation workers settle insurance claims

WaterAid has facilitated the handing over of cheques for sanitation workers’ death claim settlement under the “Shasthya Nirapotta Scheme (SNS)” at the Chattogram City Corporation (CCC) office on 28th September.

Three affected families received cheques worth Tk 30,000 each under the scheme. Spouses of deceased waste and sanitation workers collected the cheques at the event from Afroza Kalam, acting mayor of CCC.

The Shasthya Nirapotta Scheme (SNS) was launched in August 2022 under the project WASH4Urban poor supported by the Swedish Embassy.

It commenced with over 6,000 waste and sanitation workers and their family members, said a press release.

The scheme was launched in partnership with Waadaa Insure as the Technical Partner and Chartered Life Insurance Company as the insurer and active participation of local authorities as well as local government representatives.

The subscribers of the SNS scheme are currently eligible for health discounts from 250 clinics and diagnostics centres across Bangladesh apart from the insurance claim in the event of the death of the primary cardholder.

Waste and sanitation workers in Bangladesh, suffering from poverty and tackling various social and religious taboos constantly, are mostly forgotten and ignored when it comes to social development planning.

WaterAid pioneered the Shasthya Nirapotta Scheme (SNS) to ease the lives of waste and sanitation workers and bring them under a sustainable health and social security framework through a dedicated and risk-free scheme.

The mayor and other CCC officials praised the integrity of the programme, expressing gratitude to WaterAid and all its partners for providing timely assistance to vulnerable families.

Abdullah Al Omar, city planner, CCC, and other high officials from CCC also attended the programme.

WaterAid’s Technical Partner Waadaa Insure and Chartered Life Insurance representatives were also present at the programme.