Strike back against COVID-19 with a renewed focus on health
Drickus Maartens • May 28, 2020
Cash for calories burned as gyms remain closed
As gyms around South Africa remain closed and #lockdownbaking continues to trend on social media, COVID-19 is not the only health risk facing the country as we prepare to enter Level 3 lockdown. An innovative local rewards programme is challenging members to renew their commitment to health in response to the toll the virus is taking on our society’s mental and physical wellbeing.
“Many of us follow the daily COVID-19 news updates, both globally and here in South Africa, which keep count of the numbers of people affected by this awful virus. However, what if we were to start paying this much attention to counting our personal healthy achievements and steps towards our fitness goals,” suggests Director of Marketing, Distribution and Rewards, Bianca Viljoen.
“There is no better way to regain a personal sense of control over the situation that COVID-19 has imposed on us than to focus our energy on keeping fit and healthy. Exercise not only offers stress relief, it is widely accepted that it supports overall physical and emotional wellness.
“Lockdown activities and so-called ‘quarantine creativity’ or ‘quarantivity’ have become enormous social media trends, and may both reflect and influence behaviour. If your family has a ‘lockdown baker’ in the house, for instance, it may be advisable to balance all this baking with some healthy physical activity and motivation,” she adds.
“Exercise is also, perhaps, the most constructive and appropriate way that we as individuals can strike back against the health threat that COVID-19 represents. The relaxation of lockdown restrictions to allow outdoor exercise at any time of day means that people will have more opportunity to be physically active, even though gyms remain closed for now,” Viljoen notes.
“In addition, Platinum members can now earn cash back for the calories they burn or the number of steps they record wherever and however they may be exercising. Over a year, each member can earn up to R7000 through the Get Moving benefit by sending us the fitness achievements recorded on their personal fitness tracker at the end of each quarter.
“Members can earn cash back for simply participating in healthy behaviours that are comfortably suited to the individual or family’s lifestyle and preferences such as studying a SETA-registered course, playing golf, and getting regular health checks, among other benefits. The money accumulated is paid into the member’s Agility Healthcard, which in this financial climate is a convenient and welcome way to cover those little health extras,” she explains.
Agility Rewards
is designed to optimise total wellbeing. The core progamme, which is available at no additional cost to Health Squared Medical Scheme
members, offers unlimited access to Agility Assist benefits through telephonic legal, financial and psycho-social counselling and health advice from experienced nurses, as well as discounts on a wide range of products and services.
“Investing time in looking after our fitness over the remaining lockdown period can help us change the way we define the effects COVID-19 has on this period of our lives. Either, we will look back on these months remembering feeling dominated by the coronavirus, or we can remember it as the time when we gained a new appreciation for the importance of taking care of our health and wellbeing,” Viljoen concludes.
Frans Ndlovu was lying on the cool floor with his door open when he was attacked by a hyena. A multidisciplinary team of doctors and nurses at Netcare Pholoso Hospital worked day and night to save his life.
Those who work with soil and animals should stay up-to-date with regular tetanus vaccinations.
A strategic partnership between Netcare Akeso, the mental health division of the Netcare Group, and two Limpopo doctors has laid the way for the establishment of a new psychiatric facility in Polokwane to significantly enhance private mental healthcare capacity in the province.
With influenza season fast approaching, stock of this year’s flu vaccine is currently available in South Africa
Desk-bound individuals who spend most of their workdays seated need to prioritise posture and regular body breaks or risk spinal injury, chronic disease and mental health issues, among numerous other serious concerns.
According to Dr Bonke Sumbulu, a general practitioner at Netcare Medicross The Berg in Bergbron Johannesburg, ‘sitting is the new smoking’ may not be an accurate comparison. However, the dangers of continued sitting for long periods are cause for very real concern.
Expanding healthcare access in South Africa demands meticulous resource allocation, which is crucial for delivering the calibre of service essential to upholding the human dignity of our entire population, according to the Health Funders Association (HFA).
There is a direct link between human rights and preventing the spread of cancer, says Lorraine Govender, National Manager: Health Programmes of the Cancer Association of South Africa (CANSA), commenting on this year’s World Health Day theme: My Health, My Right.
Step into the heart of compassionate renal care at National Renal Care (NRC): Pictured here is our centre at Netcare Alberton Hospital in Johannesburg, which is one of 71 such NRC facilities countrywide. With our dedicated team of nephrologists, technologists, and nurses, you'll find personalised support and expert guidance at every step of your dialysis journey. Experience the difference with NRC – where care meets convenience.
Ryan Kurt Williams after his recent cochlear implant at Netcare N1 City Hospital. Professor James Loock, an Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) surgeon and the audiology team of the Tygerberg Hospital and University of Stellenbosch Cochlear Implant Unit (THUSCIU), identified Ryan as an ideal candidate to benefit from a cochlear implant.
Clinical psychologist Vashnie Sithambaram shares tips on how to support young adults as they fly the nest
