Kenya's government has urged local insurance companies to extend life cover to all people living with HIV/AIDS, local newspaper The Nation reported on Tuesday.
Finance minister, David Mwiraria, said the move would not only help reduce the financial burden on families, but also provide the companies with business and increased profitability.
Addressing a recent workshop on AIDS and Insurance in Africa, he said "HIV/AIDS should be viewed like any other insurance risk you provide cover for. Underwriters should, therefore, be bold and regard the disease as a challenge and a business opportunity."
Mwiraria said refusing to cover those living with HIV/AIDS "was not a mark of prudent underwriting" on the part of insurance firms and urged insurance companies to view the pandemic as "a potential area of growth".
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