What Changes Are Necessary To “Live Healthier, Longer And Better Lives”?

Revolutionary changes in technology have been making our lives more convenient and diversified. The health-tech sector, in particular, brought a lot of benefits to mankind, letting people live for decades longer compared to previous generations and improving their quality of life as they age. But is technology the only thing that can help people live healthier, longer and happier?
After an insightful interview with Binh Nguyen, Head of Health and Wellbeing at AIA Vietnam, we see another perspective on how to answer the above question.

What innovations have been made in Life Insurance to improve customers’s health?

Normally, customers only contact the insurance company when they have an insurance event. So what can an insurance company do to become customers’ companion in daily life, not just at the point of claim event? This is the purpose that AIA Vietnam’s Health & Wellbeing is striving for: to define and develop valuable services to help customers be more proactive in their healthcare journey.

When people, by themselves, improve their awareness and take action for their health, they will more easily find a happy and healthy life of their own. Therefore, Health and Wellbeing department will be the pioneers in helping AIA Vietnam become a “companion” on the journey to support the community proactively improve health.

Is there any “timetable”  for the health improvement journey?

Every human being has to go through the journey of Birth - Aging - Sickness - Death. But in order to “enjoy” your own journey, you need to have good health first.

Even when being healthy, people still need to stay alert, Predict their health status, as well as potential risks to their health, and Prevent infectious diseases or lifestyle diseases. When there are changes in the body, which could be abnormal symptoms, people will have to see a doctor to be Diagnosed and have suitable Treatment. After receiving treatment, it is necessary to take proper care of their health to fully Recover.

AIA Vietnam aims to accompany customers throughout their PPDTR health journey. We will not just play the role of a traditional insurance company, but will cooperate with our partners in the healthcare industry to offer services to customers for a healthier life. Following the PPDTR pathway, AIA Vietnam’s customers will get not only new healthcare services, but also long-term solutions to support them changing behaviors and habits for a healthier lifestyle and ultimately better quality of life.

This is the core and the most important factor in healthcare services, in helping Vietnamese people get the best health protection.

Let’s talk about Song Hanh Y Te (Personal Medical Case Management) service.

At hospitals, you are one among thousands of different patients being served everyday. With Song Hanh Y Te (Personal Medical Case Management/SHYT), you will become a special individual who has your own customized medical team to take care of your personal needs.

You will be taken care of by a dedicated team of medical professionals, including 1 doctor, 1 nurse and 1 medical interpreter coordinator available 24/7, to help examine your medical condition; consult with a medical professional to determine the accuracy of the diagnosis, make recommendations on methods and treatment plans; closely monitor the progress of the treatment process, help customers proactively choose appropriate and timely treatment options. Last but not least, SHYT will provide 24/7 support for you, including emotional support.

With SHYT, customers who are diagnosed with cancer or serious diseases in Vietnam will have the opportunity to access optimal treatment methods from a network of more than 4,000 leading multidisciplinary doctors in the world, and more than 2,000 top prestigious hospitals.

In a person’s healthcare journey, which step is normally neglected the most?

People often pay attention to their health condition only when they face health problems or when being diagnosed with diseases. However, at this stage, healthcare has already become so expensive. It's not only a matter of money and time. It’s the matter of people’s most valuable asset - health - is at risk. Therefore, helping customers change their living habits and have a healthy lifestyle, both physically and mentally, is a new goal of life insurance companies.

In the life insurance industry, if two people of the same age, gender, occupation and initial health conditions, then they are considered at the same level of risk. Hence they will have the same insurance contract with very much the same premium. However, today, It has been proven that if a person has a healthy lifestyle, eats green and clean, as well as exercises regularly, the risk level will be much lower than a person not following that pattern.

The insurance company with healthy customers will have a lower compensation rate and a higher retention rate, so their profit can be better. These companies are willing to share these insurance values with healthy customers, besides other short-term bonus programs, to encourage customers to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

AIA Vietnam is one of the pioneering companies in this innovation, hoping to contribute to the mission of improving health and quality of life for Vietnamese.

Why did you choose AIA Vietnam to be your “companion” in this mission?

“What is good for Vietnamese people is good for AIA Vietnam”, is the biggest inspiration that made me decide to join AIA Vietnam.

I started my career at AIA Vietnam more than 20 years ago. After 4.5 years with AIA, I was fortunate to have the opportunities to work in multinational corporations from FMCG to non-life-insurance. I have especially spent 5 years working for one of the biggest private medical corporations in Vietnam. And that period of time gives me valuable experience in the field of healthcare and medical. Being able to work directly with the doctors and nurses who save lives and bring back good health to people is what I always cherish the most.

Those great experiences have “connected” me with AIA Vietnam once again, when the group decided to develop the Health and Wellbeing segment.

In your opinion, what makes a good leader?

A leader must always have both the “heart” and the “vision”.

The “heart” of a leader is expressed through two actions. First, all decisions and actions made should be for the benefit of the organisation and the community. The leader must be the pioneer in every forefront to achieve the team's mission. That way, the barriers may have between managers and employees, between the company and the community, are easily removed. Second, the leader has to “walk the talk”, do exactly what they said. The leader’s prestige will determine how the team and the community listen to them, with all their “heart” or not.

Regarding the “vision”, a leader must be a good “painter”. They should have the ability to visualize not only the whole picture of his/her department, but also of the organisation in two, three or even five years. More importantly, they must not restrict their view to only the industry they are working in. The ability to have an overview of a market from diverse angles and with interactive information from other industries, aspects, is a crucial factor that makes a  real leader with “vision”.

A message to your future colleagues?

When you encounter difficulties, when you begin to have doubts or negative thoughts, remind yourself of the mission or the big goal that you have set to pursue. That way, you will find your motivation again.

Besides, I always encourage my team to openly and proactively share their problems. When we keep our difficulties at work to ourselves, the problems don’t go away but get bigger and worse.

There’s no one who never makes any mistake in life. So, don’t hide your mistakes. Face them early, overcome, and learn from them!

Adapted by Thao Van

AIA Vietnam officially started operations in the country in February 2000. Over the last 20 years, AIA Vietnam has been focusing on laying a strong foundation for their sustainable growth through the training and development of their human resources. Today, 20 years after its inception, AIA Vietnam has grown to be a trusted brand in the country. AIA Vietnam is undergoing an exciting transformation and looking for talents in technology, digital, and analytics who are ambitious and committed to making a positive impact not only on their customers and businesses but on their employees as well.

Find out more and discover how you can help people live Healthier, Longer, Better Lives and rewrite insurance to make it fit for the modern world at AIA Vietnam’s Linkedin: link.