Generali actions against Covid-19 in the Austria, CEE & Russia Region

• Our companies all across the Region took part in different initiatives to help our clients and communities overcome the coronavirus crisis.

Prague - Generali touches the lives of millions of people in Europe and all around the world every day. The true partnership stands on the values of trust and solidarity.

This is an overview of actions being taken by our companies in the Austria, CEE & Russia Region. It covers different initiatives which have been developed to assist our clients and communities.

Luciano Cirinà, Austria, CEE & Russia Regional Officer and CEO of Generali CEE Holding, stated: “In these unprecedented times of the COVID-19 pandemic we cannot stay indifferent to what is happening around us. On the contrary, we feel that being people’s life-time partner is a huge commitment for us. More than ever we feel the responsibility to help our clients and our communities. I am really proud to see how many initiatives of solidarity - aimed at helping where it is needed the most - took place all across the globe, including our Region.”

There are more initiatives to come in our region, initiatives to be funded also from the Generali Group Extraordinary International Fund (with up to € 100 million) created to contribute to immediate emergency response to the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide. The fund is accessible in countries where Generali operates, with the aim of providing immediate help in this fast-evolving crisis, while in the medium-term it is there to support the efforts of economic recovery in countries hit by the pandemic.

The actions taken in Austria, CEE & Russia Region are fully aligned with the objectives of the aforementioned Fund and are aimed at supporting our customers and partners in economic difficulty, in some cases with focus on SMEs clients (Austria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia); health emergencies (Bulgaria, Croatia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia) and broader community (Hungary, Romania and Slovenia).

Moreover, Generali is offering a free insurance package to health workers – all health care professionals who are in the first line in the battle against the coronavirus across the region (Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia and Slovenia).

Generali actions against Covid-19 in the Austria, CEE & Russia Region in detail:
 

AUSTRIA

Generali has set up a hotline in Austria for the general public in cooperation with Europ Assistance dealing with medical questions and IT problems as well as personal concerns and fears. Generali's Corona support hotline is available 24 hours a day throughout Austria.

Since the beginning of April, the Viennese healthcare start-up "drd" (doctors recommended by doctors), has been providing general medical advice by experienced general practitioners of choice via video call. In order to relieve medical practices and minimize the risk of infection when visiting a doctor, the launch of the first full telemedical service in Austria, originally planned for summer 2020, was brought forward. Generali Austria, along with telecommunication company Drei, have covered the cost of all consultations. This service can be used via an application over all Austrian mobile networks.

Moreover, Generali Austria has joined the initiative “Heroes against loneliness”. Employees and agents make phone calls to clients belonging to risk groups to enquire about their wellbeing. The activities include the creation of a landing page where people can register and be connected to each other, and the possibility for associations, companies and NGOs to get involved.

BULGARIA

Donations valued at nearly € 55,000 were made by Generali Bulgaria to hospitals throughout the country to assist them in the fight against Covid-19. Two respirators were subsidised and supplied to hospitals in the capital city.

Generali Insurance AD also insures medics against the risk of infection with COVID-19 free of charge. The amount of the donation, in the form of group insurance, amounts to € 102,000. Generali Insurance AD insures 1,600 employees of medical establishments and medical centres in Sofia and seven other cities in the country. The insurance begins on 1 May 2020 and is for a period of 3 months. It covers the cost of hospital treatment in the intensive care unit as a result of COVID-19 and psychological assistance to the medical staff.

CROATIA

In Croatia, Generali donated € 150,000 to the Croatian Institute of Public Health, which will use the funds to renovate the building at Rockefeller Street 2 in Zagreb, suffering from a devastating earthquake and to support efforts in making sure that Croatian hospitals and health system has all resources to manage and defeat the COVID19 pandemic locally.

Generali also donated the COVID-19 insurance package to doctors and nurses - in agreement with the Croatian Medical Chamber and the Croatian Chamber of Nurses, Generali osiguranje donated an insurance package covering COVID-19 hospital treatment and providing a post-ICU convalescence benefit to all doctors and nurses, directly involved in treatment of COVID-19 patients, as employees of public health institutions in the Republic of Croatia. The insurance period lasts for three months, from 1 May to 31 July, and the reimbursement will be paid by Generali in cases of hospital treatment of the doctors or nurses diagnosed with COVID-19 during the insurance period who started to receive hospital treatment in the same period.

CZECH REPUBLIC

Generali Česká pojišťovna also created special free-of-charge benefit added to life insurance to all customers working as medical staff (doctors, rescue workers, nurses and also other professionals including cleaning and catering services workers) who take care of patients diagnosed with COVID-19 in hospitals, senior homes, treatment centres, ambulances and other facilities. This cost-free benefit automatically applies to nurses associated in the Czech Nurses Association as well. These nurses do not have to be clients of Generali to be covered. This special add-on to the life insurance is valid from May 1 till July 31 and includes compensation for every day of hospitalisation in regular hospitals, higher compensation for being hospitalised in intensive care units and compensation in case of death caused by COVID-19.

Generali Česká pojišťovna has collaborated with the Czech Nurses Association for the campaign “Helping nurses” (Pomáháme sestřičkám), which aims at providing help and both moral and material support (mainly refreshments) to the healthcare professionals who are at the forefront of efforts to face the emergency. Through its Foundation, Generali ČP donated € 18,450 and launched a fundraising campaign for the general public.

In addition, thanks to the financial support from Generali Investments CEE amounting to € 55,000, Good Will Committee – the Olga Havlová Foundation established the Senior Support Fund. The program aims to support field social services designed especially for seniors so that they do not stay at home in isolation without food, medication, and medical assistance.

HUNGARY

Generali for Safety Foundation donated € 140,000 so that the specialised hospital of Buda Health Centre, National Centre for Spinal Disorders could be rearranged as a pandemic hospital. This donation also made it possible to purchase tests for coronavirus screening, laboratory equipment and ultrasound equipment used in intensive care units.

To support the first line workers, the healthcare employees actively participating in care of coronavirus infected patients in Hungary, Generali launched a new service to help in a certifiable way. From 1 May until 31 July, all healthcare professionals working in medical facilities, dealing in the front line in the battle of coronavirus, will be provided with free extra cover against COVID-19. Two services are available in the free insurance coverage: daily hospital benefit and bereavement benefit. The service applies to those clients, who have a live contract on 1 May 2020 and at the date of the insurance event.

On the top of that, for every client with a Private Care and Company Care health insurance contract from early April, Generali made the teleconsultation service free of charge, Generali Medi24. Generali has agreed to pay the cost of the COVID-19 test taken one time (up € 42.3 EUR) and offers help finding the service providing the tests and also offers consultation to infected patients recovering at home.

POLAND

Generali Poland companies allocated 360 000 PLN (approximately € 80 000) to support hospitals, primarily to subsidise the purchase of respirators necessary for intensive care units. They joined the “Grateful to Medics” campaign of Caritas Polska. As a part of this campaign, the first respirators, out of a total of 100 devices bought by Caritas, were distributed to hospitals. In cooperation with other insurers, Generali in Poland also supported the Central Clinical Hospital of the Ministry of Interior and Administration in Warsaw.

With the support of Europ Assistance Poland a 24/7 call centre was created to provide information to clients on travel precautions and prevention of the infection from spreading. Moreover, thanks to the cooperation with Meedy - a provider of telemedicine services - customers also gain access to telemedicine services and will be able to take advantage of a medical consultation without leaving home.

Generali Poland introduced a new product under the Covid-19 group insurance. Thank s to that, an employer may insure all employees for the event of infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Under this protection, employees diagnosed with Covid-19 and hospitalized as a result of this disease are eligible to receive financial support. Generali also provides assistance services after hospitalization covering the expenses for consultations with a GP (home visit, phone or video consultation), medical transport, support in the care of children, the elderly and pets, and also assistance in purchasing necessities, home cleaning or preparation of meals.

ROMANIA

Generali has launched insurance for the risks related the new coronavirus. Generali Romania announces a financial protection solution for companies: Co-Protect, a group health insurance dedicated exclusively to the risk of getting ill with the new coronavirus. The Co-Protect policy is available in three standardised forms with fixed premiums.

SERBIA

In order to protect the health of its customers and facilitate the remote management of insurance-related affairs, Generali Srbija has created a contact centre and a special Medic Call centre for clients with medical insurance. In addition, travel insurance policies have been extended for all customers who got stuck abroad and could not return home. Generali Osiguranje Srbija has also decided to extend COVID-19 coverage free of charge to clients with a small and medium-sized business insurance policy and to clients with a life insurance policy. In order to further protect life insurance clients and increase the financial security of their families, the company has taken a special measure in the form of extending contracted coverage.

Generali Osiguranje has also published a mental health manual on “How to protect mental health in crisis situations” on its website. Developed in collaboration with psychologist Suzana Banovic, it states that we are now in a crisis that is breaking down existing behaviour patterns and creating a search for new, better solutions.

SLOVAKIA

Generali Slovakia has decided to provide extraordinary compensation to doctors, nurses, paramedics and other people who are in the first line of the battle against the coronavirus. All health care professionals working in medical facilities who have any individual life insurance with the company will be provided with automatic and free extra coverage beyond the framework of their contract during the period of 20 April – 19 July 2020. If such clients are hospitalised for at least three nights due to COVID-19, they will receive an extraordinary compensation of € 700. If they die from or in direct connection with the disease, the entitled person will receive an extraordinary compensation of € 10,000.

Generali in Slovakia bought 5 top state-of-the-art UVD disinfection robots for the largest Slovak hospitals worth nearly € 435,000. Slovakia's hospitals are equipped with modern equipment and these robots are a significant contribution for them. Moreover, these robots will be a huge benefit not only during this challenging period, but also in the future.

SLOVENIA

Generali Slovenia adopted a special measure to protect its policyholders and increase the financial security of families. It has extended COVID-19 coverage free of charge to clients who have a life insurance policy (classic life insurance, investment life insurance or death insurance) with a term of more than 5 years, for hospital treatment and for possible death from Covid-19. In addition, Generali Slovenia created a special Fund for healthcare workers and employees in homes for the elderly. All the workers in those institutions can receive financial support in case of COVID-19 infection. Moreover, Generali Slovenia introduced also a new product under the Covid-19 collective insurance.

A donation amounting to € 250,000 went to Administration of the Republic of Slovenia for Civil Protection and Disaster for the purchase of disinfectants, protective gloves, protective masks and respirators, decontamination stations, protective overalls and other equipment.