Dr Ali Hamdulay, General Manager at Metropolitan’s health division.
With more South Africans facing a growing risk of developing a chronic disease, the non-communicable diseases (NCDs) time bomb threatens to wreak havoc on South Africa’s healthcare system, workplaces and economy. According to Dr Ali Hamdulay, General Manager at Metropolitan’s health division, healthier lifestyles to prevent NCDs are the obvious answer but behaviour change related to health is far easier said than done.
NCDs are chronic medical conditions or diseases that are non-infectious. They are generally preceded by unhealthy behaviour or lifestyles that give rise to the development of metabolic risk factors and disease. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates NCDs account for 43% of total deaths in South Africa, with cardiovascular diseases, cancers, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes the main culprits.
The chronic nature of NCDs results in high economic and social costs over an extended period. Chronic disease linked to lifestyle during working years is contributing to rising levels of absenteeism, which already costs the SA economy around R16 billion per annum. The cost of presenteeism, where employees are physically present at work but not fully engaged due to physical or mental distress, is estimated to be nearly four times that of absenteeism.
“Most people know the basics about what to do to stay healthy and prevent chronic illness, however often lack the skills and willpower to apply that knowledge when making daily choices about their health. Given the magnitude of the looming NCD challenge and the inherent difficulty in changing behaviour, a team effort is required to enable individuals to follow healthier lifestyles that prevent the development of NCDs”, says Dr Hamdulay.
He believes that stakeholders across the health value chain, particularly medical schemes and their managed care organisations, along with employers and healthcare providers, need to align efforts in supporting and enabling individuals to adopt healthier lifestyles.
This is also critical for NHI. Long-term financial sustainability in any funding system requires individuals take proactive measures to prevent chronic illness, rather than adopt the ‘fix-me-when-I’m-sick’ attitude currently prevalent across our largely curative health system.
The probability of successful, sustainable behaviour change is far greater when interventions and engagement to support behaviour change are highly personalised and tailored around a particular individual’s personal health situation and readiness to change.
This personalisation can be achieved by drawing on the wealth of information and insights about members’ behaviour that often lies hidden in medical scheme data. “By applying predictive analytics to this data, the health status of the individual member is determined and a personalised approach tailored around the individual’s health profile can be developed in collaboration with the network General Practitioner (GP)”, says Dr Hamdulay.
Dr Hamdulay believes GP and Pharmacy networks should play an essential role in changing the focus from curative care to preventative care centered around early detection, health promotion and targeted disease prevention. The networks that Metropolitan’s health division establishes for medical schemes operate as a base for health screening programmes that support early disease detection and promote healthy lifestyles.
A strong preventative orientation is not only important in preventing the development of chronic illness, but also in helping those with a chronic condition to remain healthy and productive. Dr Hamdulay says, “Our strong focus on self-management and health education injects a preventative approach into the disease management we do on behalf of schemes, and empowers individual members to adhere to adopt behaviours that prevent the primary disease from deteriorating and reduce the risk of complications”.
Influencing behaviour through a rewards programme can also incentivise healthier choices. In addition to rewarding individuals for remaining healthy, these programmes can be integrated with disease management programmes so as to incentivise individuals with chronic conditions to adopt behaviours that will prevent them from getting sicker.
Dr Hamdulay is heartened by the increasing focus on prevention across Metropolitan’s client base of medical schemes and employer groups, representing more than three million beneficiaries. “Schemes are focusing increasingly on preventative care such as vaccinations and health screening. Many schemes are also encouraging members to join wellness programmes that reward healthy lifestyles. We expect to see this strengthen significantly going forward”.
Get the latest issue of FAnews