Private sector taking more responsibility through healthcare and work

In a sector update by MIDF Amanah Investment Bank Bhd ( MIDF Research), the bank explained that both the public and private healthcare sectors would undergo strategic partnerships to ensure that the increasing dema nd for prima r y healthcare services can be met by the private sector while public hospitals would concentrate on more complex cases.

“Additionally, urbanisation and increasing standards of living are also expected to be a key driver for increasing demand of private healthcare as majority of private healthcare providers are based in urban areas which would make them attractive and viable options for the increasing number of population moving to the city,” added the bank.

While the shift is expected to make healthcare costs more sustainable as there would be less drain on public health resources, it still doesn’t address the larger picture of how we can reduce our unsustainable healthcare spending.

In fact, it has been suggested that pr ivat e company employers should step up and take responsibility in helping create a healthier workforce and in turn a healthier population, AIA Bhd (AIA) has been championing this new movement that emphasises prevention over treatment.

Commissioning the first ever comprehensive sciencebacked workplace survey in Malaysia earlier this year in whicha total of 47 companies of various sizes participated, AIA found that the average annual cost of health-related absence and presenteeism ( working whi le sick) per organisation in Malaysia is estimated to be a shocking RM2.7 million.

According to AIA, this was a large concern as employees often times found themselves feeling obligated to work whi le under the weather due to workplace policies used to manage absenteeism and Malaysian corporate culture.

Speaking at the opening of Malaysia’s Healthiest Workplace Summit held at the Hilton Kuala Lumpur today, AIA Malaysia’s Chief Executive Officer Anusha Thavarajah said it was high time for employers to take a closer look at the health and wellbeing of their people, especially given that working Malaysians spend most of their waking hours at work.

“There has been little focus on the role of employers in championing good health at the workplace so far. As the country’s leading provider of employee benefits schemes, AIA believes that this survey serves as a fantastic platform that will not only help to promote awareness on the importance of workplace health and wellbeing among employers and employees, but will also enable and encourage constructive discussions and actions around this increasingly important topic. After all, having a healthy workforce is good for business,” she added.

Adding to the argument of the need of a healthy workforce, AIA’s study also showcased that Malaysian employees reported more health risks than their peers in the other 3 countries, due to behaviours and factors such as poor nutrition, physical inactivity, long hours spent at work, a lack of sleep and stress.

Of the employees surveyed, AIA found that 90 per cent do not have a balanced diet, 64 per cent reported being physically inactive where they remain sedentary throughout most of their working hours, 56 per cent sleep less than seven hours a night with 67 per cent reporting at least one sleep problem, 53 per cent have at least one dimension of work-related stress and 12 per cent experience high levels of anxiety or depressive symptoms.

Malaysians also work the longest hours – on average 15 hours more than their contracted hours each week, compared to employees in Singapore, Hong Kong and Australia.

However, it is not all gloom and doom as the survey also found that Malaysian employees were very motivated to change their lifestyles – 90 per cent indicated they want to lose weight, while 65 per cent were eager to improve their levels of physical activity.

Associate Professor Dr Wee Lei Hum from the Faculty of Health Sciences at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, the local academic partner on the study, said employers have a huge role to play in enabling employees to act on their motivation to change.

“The key to successful behavioural change is through the promotion of health and wel lness strategies in the workplace and making sure that they are ingrained in the organisational culture. This can only be achieved with strong support from employers,” she said.

Echoing her sentiment , Anusha said the Malaysia’s Healthiest Workplace by AIA Vitality survey was designed to be a catalyst to get employers to place employee health and wellbeing at the centre of their corporate strategy.

“Armed with insights and data on their employees’ health and wel lbeing, companies can now pursue proactive interventions that can affect positive behavioural change among their people.

“Over time, we believe that these interventions will help companies provide bet ter workplaces to attract and retain people, improve employee engagement and ultimately increase business productivity. It will be a win for the employee, a win for the employer and a win for Malaysia,” she remarked.