'Insurance is important when income is low'

Nirmal Kajee Shrestha, vice-president and general manager of MetLife Nepal, on the effects of the pandemic and how the company is dealing with the unfolding crisis.

Insurance, like all sectors of the economy, has been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic. The major impact fell on premiums in certain lines of business and premature death of people. While lack of awareness about insurance has prevented many people from buying coverage, the coronavirus wiped out economic activities causing far-reaching repercussions on the industry. The Post's Krishana Prasain talked to Nirmal Kajee Shrestha, vice-president and general manager of MetLife Nepal, an insurance company headquartered in the United States which opened a branch office in Nepal in 2001, about the effect of the pandemic and how the company is dealing with the unfolding crisis.