Though health and travel insurer nib Group (nib) has experienced a tumultuous 2020, the company’s range of health-focused social initiatives show that it has still maintained a keen sense of corporate social responsibility.
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At yesterday’s AGM, nib chairman Steve Crane emphasised the “unprecedented events” of the fiscal year 2019/2020 which saw Australia fighting drought and severe bushfires before the COVID-19 pandemic hit the country’s shores. To help fight the coronavirus, nib sourced and donated 100,000 surgical masks for healthcare and allied workers, while a health insurance premium increase scheduled for April 01 was postponed by six months.
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In addition, the firm increased the ability of its members to access telehealth consultations for a range of health services, and also offered a number of free online antenatal and early parenting classes.
“To ensure our members had access to appropriate health cover, we expanded coverage for chest, lung, kidney and bladder or other treatment related to COVID-19 across all levels of hospital cover at no additional cost,” commented Crane.
“We won’t lose sight of the crucial job we have in helping to protect our members and travellers against the financial risk of disease, sickness and injury and enabling them to quickly access world-class healthcare,” he added.
As both Crane and managing director Mark Fitzgibbon highlighted, nib’s ongoing commitment to creating a safe and inclusive workplace was reflected in the company being included in Refinitiv’s 2020 Diversity and Inclusion Index, which recognises the 100 most diverse and inclusive organisations worldwide. It was one of just nine Australian companies included on the list.
Just last month, nib also announced its inaugural Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan which, Crane explained, is intended to demonstrate their “commitment to work towards meaningful and effective reconciliation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia.”
Across the Tasman Sea, nib’s collaboration with Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, a Māori iwi or tribe, has continued to deliver results since its introduction in early 2018. The programme is “designed to improve access to quality healthcare” for the iwi’s members, Crane stated, adding that its positive outcomes meant that nib was “looking to expand this capability to include other Māori partnerships and geographies.”
