Gov’t Provides Life Insurance for Hajj Pilgrims

Indonesian Ministry of Religious Affairs has announced that the Government will provide life insurance amounting to Rp18.5 million for pilgrims who pass away during the pilgrimage and Rp37 million who pass away due to accidents during the pilgrimage.

The statement was made by the Ministry’s Director for Domestic Hajj Services of Directorate General for Hajj and Umrah Ahda Barori in Mecca, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Thursday (8/30).

“The insurance policy is already implemented since the pilgrims join Hajj pre-departure centers and the insurance claim will be available after five working days,” Ahda said, adding that the beneficiaries claiming for the life insurance do not need to file the claim by themselves since the Directorate General for Hajj and Umrah will file the claim to the insurance company.

Ahda added that the claim can be made before the end of Hajj pilgrimage and the benefit will be transferred to the beneficiaries account. The claim of the funds, said Ahda, can be transferred directly to the active bank account of the dead pilgrims or the account of the pilgrims’ heir that is agreed upon.

“The process takes a maximum of five working days,” he said.

The cost of pilgrimage life insurance premium this year, according to Ahda, is Rp49,000 and is taken from the Hajj funds. He added that since 2016, the insurance claim process is no longer carried out by the pilgrims’ heirs but by Ministry of Religious Affairs in an effort to ease Hajj services.

For the record, until the fourth day of the Hajj pilgrimage homecoming phase on Thursday (30/8) Saudi Arabia time, there are 210 pilgrims who passed away, consisting of 141 pilgrims who passed away in Mecca, 28 pilgrims who passed away in Medina, eight pilgrims who passed away in Arafat, six pilgrims who passed away in Muzdalifah, 24 pilgrims who passed away in Mina and three pilgrims who passed away at the airport work area. (Humas Kemenag/ES) (GWH/EP/Naster)