Health coverage is a benefit which helps improve employee motivation and retention which contributes directly to employee productivity and improves corporate’ bottom line.
However, in Pakistan, the health plans mostly focus on “disease management” rather than focusing on “disease prevention”. Most institutions provide coverage for emergency treatment and hospitalization, leaving clear coverage gaps i.e., clinical Consultation (Out-patient) as well as mental health coverage, thus completely discouraging the early detection and prevention of both mental and physical illnesses.
Prime reason for this mismatch is that such health coverage is designed to lower health insurance cost rather than addressing employee health concerns, which although provide some medical coverage to employees, but cannot be called “health benefit” as it completely ignores early detection and early prevention of the disease. In simple words, health coverage in Pakistan is heavily skewed towards reactive rather than towards preventative health management.
Productivity loss, absenteeism, presentism, job abandonment, and higher turnover are often directly linked to poor health coverage by the corporates especially mental health.
Work stress can lead to physical illness, as well as psychological distress and mental illness. The recent increase in work stress has been linked with the recession based on Covid pandemic, job insecurity and work intensity, all leading to greater workloads and more interpersonal conflicts, and can have an impact on children’s mental health through disrupted parenting.
In a recent survey a corporate asked its 480 employees to complete a health risk assessment (HRA) to better understand its health issues. Eighty-three percent (83%) of employees completed the HRA and the results identified that employees were at the greatest risk for depression, stress, and obesity. We all know that these three conditions combined are pre-cursors to most life-style diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, cholesterol, cancer etc.
SehatYab has developed specific plans to support corporates aspiring to enhance the employee wellbeing by offering the following programs:
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Mental Health Access Program – MHAP
- SehatYab MHAP is developed to address that company’s culture and work practices support the mental health and emotional needs of its employees. When employees experience symptoms such as the desire to isolate, withdrawal from normal activities, physical aches and pains, irritability, and low tolerance of others, having a resource to turn to for help can likely defuse a potentially serious situation.
- SehatYab will assist in developing a mental health strategy built around mental health “Awareness, and Access.
- Awareness: Assist the company to build mental health awareness, a supportive corporate culture by conducting mental health training, anti-stigma campaigns, reviewing policies to reduce work stressors etc.
- Access: Ensure access to mental health services by providing online mental health consultations with top behavioral specialist (psychiatrists and psychologists). Beside mental illnesses such as anxiety, depression, OCD etc. mental wellbeing is a major part of this segment which improves assertiveness, anger management, empowerment etc.
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Online Medical Consultation Program – OMCP
- SehatYab Online Medical Consultations program is designed for companies to provide Consultation benefit to encourage the employee to timely resolve any health concerns, rather than delaying and worsening the outcomes. The package includes a fix number of consultations with a Qualified Medical Specialist (FCPS with minimum 10 years’ experience). On average a generally healthy person will requires 3-4 interactions per annum with a doctor.
- Such a facility is also suitable for employers having remote work locations or multiple work locations where access to care is non-existent or not up to the mark.
Corporate wellness programs will continue to grow as needs become more and more apparent to the employers. Our hope is that more attention will be paid to employee mental health and that the stigma associated with it will dissipate. By addressing mental health issues and emotional wellness, employers are addressing the total health of an employee when combined with programs for medical coverage. That makes everyone stronger, more productive, and happier.
SehatYab is an online mental wellness service run by leading psychiatrists & psychologists providing a full scope service which is affordable, accessible and fully confidential.