Q: You recently said during a webinar that you had a message of hope concerning the pandemic. Can you clarify your vision?
A: Let me start with the observation that the pandemic has been a major challenge for humanity. People have lost their loved ones. A large number of businesses dependant on social gathering suffered heavily. Entire workforces, but also the young generation, have been tested on their mental resilience due to lock down and social distancing pressures.
Still, humanity has overcome big diseases before such as smallpox which was eradicated from the face of the Earth. Humanity has also brought other diseases largely under control through global vaccination campaigns, e.g. against diphtheria, measles, polio.
Today it is very reassuring to know that in a year, scientists have been able to develop highly successful technological weapons to fight the SARS COVID 19 virus. On top of that, should a new variant in turn develop a mutation that alters the effectiveness of available vaccines, there will now be efficient processes available for the pharmaceutical industry to develop a new vaccine rather quickly. This vaccine will be effective against the next mutant form of the virus.
So, if you combine the two following elements, we can remain optimistic:
- Having access on a large scale to vaccines
- Trusting the technology and the progresses that have been made so far in terms of being able to adapt to mutations of the virus
Q: As of today, did you notice an evolution about what your customers are expecting from Henner?
A: Whether it be companies, brokers, International Organizations, insurance partners or customers we noticed an increasing demand for both scientific and practical updates. We do remain very cautious since what was true yesterday may not be true tomorrow. At Henner we advice to remain vigilant regarding information we read or hear on various media. COVID 19 as well as prevention measures are extremely dynamic subjects. Therefore, our Medical Service is committed to keep a continuous scientific follow up in order to constantly update the information we deliver to our clients.
Q: What did you learn from the past one and a half year?
A: I believe we understand now, probably more than before, the critical importance of prevention, early detection, physical and mental well being. It’s not only COVID, it’s not only vaccination that became headline news, it’s also the physical and the mental health of all age categories: workers, students, children, seniors…has come to the centre of the attention. We believe that this topic is here to stay. And each of us, in the international health insurance industry, including employers have a role to play. At Henner, health is at the heart of everything we do. That is why, with our medical team of 60 doctors and nurses, we are committed to help our clients and partners to enhance the health and the well-being of their workforce and customers.