Sagicor Life Jamaica (SLJ) has continued to strengthen its mandate of encouraging the overall health and wellness of Jamaicans by promoting early screenings for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in partnership with key stakeholders.

The company’s most recent effort saw them collaborating with the Ministry of Health and Wellness (MOHW) and the South East Regional Health Authority (SERHA) for World Heart Day and Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, respectively.

For World Heart Day, SLJ and the MOHW offered free health screenings that covered blood pressure, blood sugar, blood cholesterol, vision, and BMI testing. According to the MOHW, NCDs and injuries are the leading cause of death in Jamaica. The ministry states that in 2015, an estimated seven out of 10 Jamaicans died from the four major NCDs (cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and chronic lower respiratory disease).

“As Jamaica’s leading insurance company, promoting overall wellness is at the centre of what we do at Sagicor Life. We know the implications of not doing regular check-ups and so we ensure that we provide opportunities such as these for Jamaicans to put their health first,” expressed Stacy Goodin, wellness manager, Sagicor Life.

Over 50 men also took advantage of free prostate cancer screenings provided by SLJ in partnership with SERHA. Michael Jennings, who utilised the free prostate health screening, shared that the opportunity provided by Sagicor was a thoughtful one. “I appreciate Sagicor taking the time to arrange this screening service because not only does it save time and money, but it shows that as a company, they care about our well-being,” he said.

Over 500 people have so far benefited from free health checks and NCDs screenings from Sagicor Life since the start of the year.

“Being proactive about your health has great benefits and we encourage everyone to do. It is also important for individuals to know their medical history. For example, several factors, including age, family history, present health, and even race affects how frequent a man might need to be screened for prostate cancer,” shared Goodin.

SLJ also had Sagicor Life advisors on the ground giving advice to those who were keen on acquiring critical illness health insurance.