Ceylinco Life takes potentially life-saving medical help to 3,000 plus in 2019

Waidya Hamuwa 2019

More than 3,000 people were provided free access to doctors, underwent health checks and received medical advice on diagnosed conditions in 2019 under a potentially life-saving country-wide community initiative of Ceylinco Life.

In its 16th year, the life insurance leader’s ‘Waidya Hamuwa’ (Meet the doctor) program principally benefitted lower-middle income families from many parts of Sri Lanka through 12 medical camps organised and funded by the company in the year just concluded. 

The majority of the beneficiaries were from farming, cottage industry, fisheries, and gem mining backgrounds, the company said. Many housewives too took the opportunity to have themselves screened and meet doctors, free of charge.

All participants at these camps not only got medical check-ups, but were also offered free checks and diagnostic tests such as Body Mass Index (BMI), blood sugar, blood pressure and vision tests and where necessary, ECGs.

After the initial screening tests, all identified with medical conditions were advised on medication regimes, referred to the nearest hospitals, made aware of symptoms to watch-out for, and educated on life style changes that should be considered for better quality of life. 

On average, 125 random blood sugar tests were done per program, alongside 84 ECGs. The visiting doctors also diagnosed an average of four hyper-tension patients, two diabetes patients and a varicose vein affected person per medical camp. Metabolic disorders, heart disease, and various skin- related conditions were also diagnosed at the programs. After eye checks, patients that required them were prescribed spectacles. 

The 12 ‘Waidya Hamuwa’ medical camps of 2019 took place at Aluthgama, Baddegama, Dompe, Eheliyagoda, Galgamuwa, Hambantota, Maho, Matara, Naula, Nivithigala, Pitigala, and Putuhapuwa. The programs were conducted with the assistance of propaganda teams from the Ceylinco Life Head Office and the staff of branches in areas where the camps were held. Approximately 4750 man hours of branch staff and 420 man hours of the Head Office staff were invested in the organising and conduct of these programs, the company said. 

To date, Ceylinco Life has reached out to more than 146,000 people through 387 ‘Waidya Hamuwa’ camps across the country. These medical camps were conducted by qualified and experienced doctors and nursing staff attached to the state health sector and private laboratories, and professional opticians. 

Ceylinco Life defines its Corporate Social Responsibility as ‘The continuing commitment of the company to create a sustainable business environment even in the remotest areas of the country through meaningful interventions in areas such as healthcare and education for needy people, while providing protection and financial security of the highest quality’.

Education is also a primary focus in Ceylinco Life’s community efforts. The company has built and donated 81 classroom buildings to needy schools over the past 16 years.

The market leader in Sri Lanka’s life insurance industry for 16 of the 32 years it has been in operation, Ceylinco Life has close to a million lives covered by active policies and is acknowledged as a benchmark in the local insurance industry for innovation, product research and development, customer service, professional development and corporate social responsibility.

Ceylinco Life was adjudged Sri Lanka’s most valuable life insurance brand by Brand Finance in 2019, ranked among the 10 ‘Most Admired Companies’ in the country by the ICCSL this year, named the Best Life Insurer in Sri Lanka for the sixth consecutive year in 2019 by World Finance, and has also been declared the most popular life insurance company in the country for the past 13 years by SLIM-Nielsen.