SA to host prestigious global insurance medicine congress in 2010
As the global innovator of life insurance products for HIV/Aids positive people and also critical illness products, South Africa has earned the right to host the International Congress of Life Assurance Medicine (ICLAM) in February next year.
This is the first time that this prestigious event with more than 100 years of history will be held on the African continent. The 23rd Congress takes place in Cape Town from 7 to 10 February.
Dr Pieter Coetzer, chairman of the ICLAM 2010 Organising Committee, says the Congress will present international experts with a unique opportunity to learn first-hand how South Africa meets the insurance needs of a developing country consisting of diverse cultures. Coetzer is also the convenor of the Risk and Underwriting Standing Committee of the Association for Savings and Investment SA (ASISA).
Coetzer says South Africa’s long-term insurance industry remains one of the most sophisticated in the world. “We attend this underwriting conference every three years, not so much to learn from international practices, but to confirm our own practices and to share lessons learnt with experts from other countries.”
Coetzer says not only was South Africa the first country to introduce critical illness products in the 1980s, but in 2001 South African life insurers also pioneered risk cover for functional impairment as well as life cover for HIV positive people.
It is fitting then that the keynote address at the Congress will be delivered by Dr Marius Barnard, the founder of critical illness insurance products. Delegates from around the world will also be briefed by experts from South Africa and the Netherlands on product innovation regarding products for HIV/Aids positive people.
Preparing for pandemics, doping in sport, genetic testing and new trends in treating and underwriting diabetes are other topics on the agenda for the Congress.
Dr Coetzer says some 300 delegates from around the world have already registered to attend the Congress.
“The triennial ICLAM conferences are aimed at sharing information on risk assessment at both underwriting and claim assessment stages. It offers a valuable learning and network experience for medical advisors in the field of insurance medicine and occupational health, underwriters, claim assessors, occupational therapists, actuaries and business managers in risk assessment.”
The last congress was held in 2007 in Berlin. More information is available from http://www.iclam2010.co.za/.
