Understanding Health Risks during Diwali Celebrations

Diwali is a joyous occasion celebrated by people all over India and by the Indian diaspora worldwide. It is a five-day celebration marked by feasts, sparkling lights, and firecrackers. Though firework displays during Diwali are loved by everyone alike, they pose potential health risks. 

In this post, we highlight the health risks during Diwali and how health insurance can ensure your financial well-being.

Health Risks during Diwali

The key risks posed during Diwali are:

• Firecrackers burst during Diwali enhances pollution levels in India
• Causes health hazards for people suffering from diseases like bronchitis, COPD, asthma, and respiratory tract infections
• Bursting of firecrackers is also associated with accidents caused by limited visibility due to smog
• Fireworks increase the levels of atmospheric heat and surface air temperature and decrease air visibility
• Indulgence in sweets and snacks aggravates the health conditions of the elderly suffering from diabetes and hypertension

Role of Health Insurance  

Diwali is a time of huge expenses in buying gifts, clothes, and assets. Amidst such expenditure, if a member of a family falls sick and is hospitalized, it may cause a huge financial burden on the family.

Although thinking about insurance during Diwali is something nobody may like to do. But you need to ensure the safety and health of each member of your family to celebrate the festivities with a sense of complete mental peace.

Security against Accidents 

• Accidental cases of burns, cuts, and injuries rise during Diwali. Your health insurance can safeguard you against the hospitalization costs incurred for such cases
• Every year many cases of road accidents are reported during Diwali. Some of them can have a severe impact on the injured. You can get coverage from day 1 of your policy to cover such accidental cases
• If a firecracker injures you in any body part, which requires immediate medical care and hospitalization, it can be managed with your health insurance

   Security against diseases

• Respiratory diseases may aggravate during Diwali. If the patient finds it difficult to breathe, it may require immediate hospitalization. Your health insurance will cover in-patient hospitalization and ICU charges
• With comprehensive health insurance plans for families, you can stay financially protected against costs like doctor’s fees, nursing charges, medicine bills, room rent, ICU charges, diagnostic tests, and more
• Further, if there is any emergency like a heart condition or rise in BP due to the noise of crackers, you can rely on your health policy for support
• Too much indulgence in sweets and savories by the elderly may spike their sugar or BP causing grave health damage. Again, you can fall back on your health insurance for the hospitalization or OPD charges involved in the treatment

Choosing the Right Health Insurance Plan

You can choose a policy depending on your particular needs and preferences. Below are a few factors to consider while purchasing a health insurance policy:

• Sum insured – The sum insured should be enough to cover your needs. For example, if you purchase an individual health plan, the sum insured will cater to your solo health insurance requirements. But in the case of a family floater policy, you would require a sum insured depending on the number of people covered under the plan and their health conditions
• Premium rate – Choosing a policy only because of its low premium may not be the right decision. You must consider your needs and accordingly find a policy that fulfills these needs
• Cashless treatment in network hospitals – Cashless treatment can be availed in the wide-ranging hospitals within the network of your insurer. Thus, you must consider the number of network hospitals within your proximity for maximum benefit.
•  Available riders (like critical illness riders) – Health insurance plans offer add-on options that can be availed by paying an extra premium by the insured. As per your needs, you may avail of riders like critical illness, maternity cover, hospital cash, and more.
• Waiting period – Besides the normal waiting period, you must check the waiting period for specific diseases and pre-existing diseases while buying a health policy.

All these and many other aspects are important to take note of while purchasing the best health insurance in India during Diwali.

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Benefits of Timely Health Insurance

Timely insurance can support the insured in getting the best facility at the opportune time.

Let’s understand the timely support of health insurance with an example:

Take the case of the Batra family. Like every Diwali, the entire Batra clan gathered together last year to make the five-day Diwali festivities memorable. The household was filled with laughter and happiness when a sudden incident made everyone panicky. One of the children of the household, Aayush, burned his hand while bursting crackers. The situation became tense; however, Mr Batra wasted no time and rushed Aayush immediately to the hospital. Thankfully, Mr. Batra had already covered the entire family including his children and elderly parents under a comprehensive family health insurance plan. This helped in receiving proper care and cashless treatment at the hospital. Ayush’s quick recovery allowed the family to continue the celebrations.

Like the Batra’s, many people face incidents of minor to major injuries during Diwali for different reasons. Situations like the above are a reminder of how important health insurance is to ensure the best healthcare facilities during difficult times.

Also Read: Diwali Special Gift – Choose Family Health Plan

Precautionary Measures for a Safe Diwali

Diwali is an exciting festival, especially for children amidst games, fireworks, good food, and laughter. However, maintaining safety is extremely important.

Here are some tips for celebrating Diwali safely to minimize health risks:

• Wear cotton clothes while bursting crackers during Diwali as other fabrics are likely to catch fire easily
• Children should wear well-fitted clothes to avoid fire catching lose and flowing garments
• Get firecrackers of good quality from a legal manufacturer to reduce fire incidents
• Keep emergency health and fire helpline handy in case required
• Play with firecrackers only in the open areas or grounds
• Keep the first aid box and fire extinguisher handy
• Be careful while discarding the used firecrackers

Emergency Helplines during Diwali 

To tackle emergencies during Diwali, you can call emergency helplines like ‘Dial 122’ a government of India initiative, and a single-number emergency helpline active pan-India.

For any emergency assistance regarding health, fire, and police:

• Dial 112 from your mobile,
• Or press your smartphone’s power button thrice to activate the Panic call,
• Long press the ‘5’ or ‘9’ keys from your feature phone to activate the Panic call,
• You may also log on to the State ERSS website and place your SOS request,
• The option to email an SOS alert to State ERC is also there

You can download the 112 India Mobile App, which is available in the Google Play Store and Apple Store, to activate a panic call to ERC.

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Summing Up

Diwali is a beautiful time to celebrate and share your joys with family and friends. However, to ensure that you and your family do not go through any unpredictable situations during the festival time, you must be prepared with a good health insurance plan bought well in advance.

Let’s not allow the scare of an injury or disease to dim your Diwali spirit and happiness this season. Go for a national health policy and prioritize your health and the health of your family before Diwali.

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