Taking a major shift from the normal course, Chennai-based Star Health Insurance has launched a new health cover for cardiac patients who have already undergone surgery.

Star Health Insurance announced that its new product would provide heart patients with cover for repeat cardiac surgeries, medical management plus any other health issue that require hospitalization.

Earlier, it was a norm that health insurance firms would decline to provide insurance cover for people with pre-existing heart problems or other diseases.

Executive Director Dr. S Prakash, of Star Health Allied Insurance, said, "This scheme marks a major shift in this attitude; insurance is now moving towards certainty."

Dr. Prakash added that the company was aware of the fact that subscriber of the new product would be hospitalized or need cardiac surgery, or might also be suffering from other associated issues like diabetes and cholesterol.

Within 24 hours of the announcement of the new policy, the Chennai-based health insurance company received more than 600 calls for the scheme.