It must be extremely difficult to be told by your doctor that you have a critical or terminal illness. The exorbitant cost associated with treatment, the loss of income as a result of not being able to work for an extended period of time or possibly never again, the fact that your family will still be depending on you to provide for them, and all the other concerns that arise when you get such horrible news. These concerns must be very hard to deal with on their own, but what will make the situation even worse is not being prepared financially for such an eventuality.

Many persons are of the opinion that life and health insurance are the only forms of protection they need, but what if you are diagnosed with a critical or terminal illness? Are you prepared for the excessive medical bills that will face you? How will you manage financially?

Life insurance will not help in this situation, as you are still alive so you cannot claim on your life insurance policy.  Traditional health insurance will offer limited assistance, as in most cases it does not provide the coverage you need to survive a critical illness or lead a normal life after treatment. Many critical illness patients are unable to access the proper treatment they require as the costs are high and recovery is often prolonged.
Recent statistics have shown that:

1. 75% of healthy individuals over the age of 40 years will become critically ill some time in the future.  
2. One (1) in two (2) men and one (1) in three (3) women will develop a least one form of cancer at some stage in their life.  
3. One (1) in six (6) men and one (1) in eight (8) women over the age of 45 years has suffered a heart attack or stroke. 

What do these findings tell us? There is a very strong possibility that you will develop a critical illness and you do not know when or at what age it will happen. You need to be prepared for such an eventuality so that you can easily access the required treatment to make your chances of survival much higher, and so that your family can continue to enjoy a high standard of living while you are ill or recuperating. 

Don’t be caught off guard. Protect yourself and your family against the impact of terminal illnesses by taking out a critical illness protection plan. Make sure you can access the necessary treatment and maintain your quality of life and independence after the onset of a critical illness.