Veg man denied Rs 1L claim, insurer told to pay

In a recent decision, a district consumer commission in Ahmedabad ruled that an insurance company must pay a medical claim of Rs 1.06 lakh that it had previously denied. The case involved Meet Thakkar, a resident of Naranpura who suffered from giddiness, nausea, and weakness, leading to a diagnosis of a transient ischaemic attack.

The claim was denied by New India Assurance Co Ltd, citing the treating doctor's opinion that Thakkar's high homocysteine levels were caused by a vitamin B12 deficiency due to his vegetarian diet. The commission held that Thakkar's vegetarian diet was not at fault and that the insurer had wrongly rejected the genuine claim. The commission ordered New India Assurance to pay the full claim amount, along with interest and compensation for mental anguish and legal expenses.