The recent lamentable plight of the perilous misfortunes which befell Lisa Gatt (Cambodia crash girl) on her journey has highlighted the shortcomings of the availability of adequate or effective long-term, or otherwise, travel insurance cover here in Malta.
Furthermore, in the immediate aftermath a glowing, albeit highly unilateral, report of the benevolence and apparent altruistic motives attached to an insurer’s conducting of business was submitted by Albert P. Mamo, GasanMamo insurance managing director and appeared in a business publication, in which he made selective and immensely contestable, indeed preposterous, claims which failed to be corroborated by any apparent research disclosures, let alone challenged, in the interview.
The fact that Ms Gatt could not obtain long-term travel insurance cover will not come as a surprise to anyone who either travels regularly or for long periods and that even if one manages to procure travel cover for six months this is offset by the fact that this then greatly impacts negatively on one’s home insurance, for if one is absent from home for a mere three months’ duration, this then invalidates and nullifies such cover.
Also an insurer will deem that any travel cover over and above six months’ duration will not be considered on a “travel” basis. Facts which fail to be directed to the general public’s attention who, by and large, remain unaffected as not many travel for such long periods, but those that do are confronted with severe restrictions and limitations, it should be pointed out.
Regarding travel insurance cover, and I have directed this question to a great many insurer’s – including the Malta Insurance Association – to absolutely no avail, why should it be that a standalone annual multi-trip travel insurance policy is impossible to obtain here in Malta? This is especially mysterious given that most insurers operating in Malta have their policies underwritten by insurers in either the UK or Italy from where such annual policies are widely available and easily accessible.
This leads me to the premiums charged by insurers for travel insurance policies, which contrary to the ludicrous and unsubstantiated claim by Mr Mamo that these (he indicates home insurance premiums also) have not changed “for as long as I can remember”. Well, I put it to Mr Mamo that his memory is not only highly selective but moreover suffering from a substantial loss of this facility and he should refresh such at the first opportunity. For these premiums, as with all insurance premiums, always increase dramatically and repeatedly on an annual, and sometimes more frequent basis. However, perversely, the same accusation of dramatic increase cannot be levied against the indemnity amounts available to reflect such premium increases, as these have perennially and stoically remained static and rigid and disproportionately pro-rata to such premium increases, and have remained thus for as long as I can remember, to coin a phrase. Why should this be so, as surely premium increases should be reflected in, and commensurate with, indemnity amounts payable?
Typically a consumer is once again confronted by a unilateral condition in favour of the Insurers and to their detriment. How are such practices allowed to be implemented with apparent impunity and failed to be challenged by our purported consumer watchdog authorities in safeguarding such aspects? Insurers will relentlessly recite that they offer cost-effective products and packages, but cost-effective to whom? Or is that a rhetorical question?
In conclusion, I would never travel without insurance cover, but this is a totally personal viewpoint. However, whilst travel insurance is a completely optional extra and is not remotely mandatory or a legal requirement, there exists a holiday company operating in Malta (Mondial) that persists in declaring that “they reserve the right not to accept any prospective traveller unless they are in possession of a reasonable travel insurance policy”. One wonders how such a restrictive condition can be permitted and allowed to be published on a booking form with apparent impunity and what perceived “right” the company is alluding too?
Comments from the appropriate agencies and bodies dedicated to protect the citizen from such unfair contract terms through offering a high level of consumer protection (Consumer and Competition Division, Office of Fair Trading, Ministry of Finance) to these assertions are cordially solicited but not envisaged.
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