South African insurance product designer and administrator, AllLife, Wednesday launched the first ever affordable broad based life insurance offering for people living with HIV in this country.

In a first time for South Africa, people living with HIV can now easily access life insurance cover for up to 1 million rand ( about 153,846 US dollars).

The policies will be underwritten by Nova Life Partners Limited, Santam's black economic empowerment life insurance subsidiary.

AllLife Managing Director Ross Beerman said in a country which constitutionalizes equality, HIV+ individuals have been routinely discriminated against by the insurance industry.

Insurance policy applications by people living with HIV or those found to be HIV+ on application are consistently declined.

Source: Xinhua