Insurance companies in Asia are increasingly engaging in corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs to address critical healthcare and social welfare issues.
Recent efforts by Aon plc and Tokio Marine demonstrate diverse strategies aimed at improving access to healthcare, reducing financial strain, and empowering vulnerable communities.
Global professional services firm Aon has partnered with the Wockhardt Foundation to provide free primary healthcare to underserved areas in India. This initiative includes two Mobile Medical Clinics targeting 10,000 patients by March 2025.
The clinics are equipped with doctors, pharmacists, and essential medicines to provide basic health screenings, treatments, and referrals in rural and low-income urban regions. They will operate in the Mumbai metropolitan area and the National Capital Region (NCR), following the ACDR model, which focuses on Awareness, Diagnosis, Cure, and Referral.
Anne Corona (pictured third from the left), Aon’s CEO for Asia Pacific, emphasised the company’s focus on community impact.
“We are honoured to sponsor this initiative. At Aon, we are committed to supporting the communities in which we live and work, and this collaboration with Wockhardt Foundation aligns with our goal of making a positive impact on society,” she said.
Denis Varghese, director of Wockhardt Foundation, shared a similar sentiment, noting that the mobile clinic initiative represents the organisations’ shared vision to make healthcare more accessible to the people who need it most.
“Our collaboration with Aon reflects our shared vision of making healthcare accessible to all,” he said.
The initiative comes amid rising healthcare costs in India. A new report from ACKO pegged medical inflation at 14% in 2023, contributing to an average 11.35% increase in claim sizes. The report also noted that only 23% of urban households in India have health insurance, with many relying on out-of-pocket payments to cover medical expenses.
In Singapore, Tokio Marine collaborated with The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund (STSPMF) to launch the “TM Little Chef” program, a cooking workshop designed to teach practical life skills to children from underprivileged backgrounds.
The program brought together 50 children and volunteers from Tokio Marine’s staff to participate in hands-on culinary activities.
Beyond cooking, the workshop aimed to foster self-reliance, teamwork, and confidence among the participants.
To support STSPMF’s broader mission, Tokio Marine Life Insurance Singapore’s CEO, Alistair Chamberlain, donated SG$10,000.
“At Tokio Marine, our purpose is to protect our customers and society. Part of this is to build a bright future for the next generation and to support our society in having the skills, confidence, and self-reliance to thrive,” Chamberlain said.
