A JOURNEY TO WELLNESS
Zambia continues to record an alarming increase in Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs). On average, nearly one in every five deaths is NCD-related. According to research conducted by the Zambian Ministry of Health, the most common NCDs are hypertension, chronic respiratory diseases, diabetes mellitus (type II), cancers, epilepsy mental illness, oral disease, eye diseases and sickle cell anaemia. Although some NCDs are related to an individual’s genetic disposition, most often they are triggered by poor lifestyle behaviours also known as risk factors.
RISK FACTORS
A major factor that
increases the risk of developing NCDs is an unhealthy diet, such as a diet with a
high content of processed foods, sugar and/or fat content. Other factors are a lack of physical activity, tobacco (not just
smoking but also chewing) and excessive alcohol consumption. Another factor
that is less obvious and commonly overlooked is poor stress management, both in
the workplace and at home. Insufficient sleep, lack of health screening or
check-ups and a poor standard of care are other notable risk factors that drive
the increase in preventable NCDs.
COST OF LIFESTYLE
DISEASES
If the risk factors are
not mitigated, the cost to the individual, the family, the workplace and the
nation at large will result in a loss of productivity, lower quality of life
and most certainly, an increase in the cost of health insurance premiums.
Employees who suffer from these lifestyle diseases cannot perform at their
optimum, making them susceptible to other illnesses such as stress
related, mental disorders at the prospect of losing their means of livelihood.
INTERVENTIONS
In order to effectively
deal with the rising cost of NCDs, the Zambian Government, in partnership with
various stakeholders including health insurance companies, have adopted a
multisectoral approach by creating public awareness campaigns that promote
regular exercise, regular health screenings and healthy food
choices.
The strategic focus of
the Ministry of Health has moved away from curative towards preventive measures in order to
mitigate the rising cost of providing for health care in the wake of enactment
of the National Health Insurance Act No. 2, 2018. This law brought into
existence the National Health Insurance Management Authority whose mandate is
to achieve universal health coverage for the entire Zambian population, which is a
discussion for another day!
MINET WELLNESS PROGRAM
It is in view of the
foregoing factors that Minet Zambia embarked on a wellness journey by
offering a robust wellness solution to the existing client base as a value add,
and to prospective clients as a stand-alone solution. This offer is
meant to address the entire health value chain of both individuals and
corporate groups by not only offering interventions at the point of illness in
the form of medical insurance, but also by reducing the frequency of hospital
visits (insurance claims) of employees, thereby aiding them to remain healthy
for a longer period of time, resulting in the hedging of raising health
insurance premiums. This in turn increases their productivity
and profits of businesses.
THE BUSINESS CASE FOR
WELLBEING
In delivering our
solution, the following are the compelling value propositions for considering wellness as a strategic imperative for their
business:
- Employee wellbeing should be viewed as a means to help differentiate the company from its competitors in the quest to recruit and retain the best talent on the market.
- It makes good business sense to have a keen focus on sustaining high performers by supporting and ensuring their effectiveness and to continuously perform at high levels.
- The control of absenteeism with emphasis on productivity and efficiency in terms of; i) measuring the loss of productivity in relation to the contribution that each employee should be making; ii) controlling the overall costs associated with the management and redeployment of indisposed human resources.
- A keen focus on managing and controlling the cost of medical insurance provision (and all costs associated with employee health and wellbeing) is relevant to the long-term survival of organisations.
- Concern with the financial and reputational risks associated with failing to comply with health and safety regulations and with the required ‘duty of care’ towards employees. The effort to insure against those risks through strategic forms of compliance must be deliberate.
- The effort to establish a positive culture of employee engagement and wellbeing tends to work better when it is led from the top of the company and the results are expected to produce a range of benefits for employees, the organisation and even beyond.
Chinyemba Sovi ǀ Manager
Health & Group Life Assurance ǀ Minet Zambia
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