Since the global outbreak of COVID-19, the Saudi private sector has been making considerable efforts to alleviate the impact of the pandemic in the Kingdom. The health insurance sector has been proactive in its support to the measures taken by the government to contain the crisis. Bupa Arabia has taken a host of measures aimed at helping its members through the difficulties posed by the pandemic. Mohamed El Missaoui, Chief Operating Officer at Bupa Arabia, said: "Bupa Arabia for Cooperative Insurance has taken several steps to ensure our members receive the best health care and stay safe during this health crisis." He added: "These measures include setting up a state-of-the-art command center, Bupa Arabia Command Center for Coronavirus, to answer our queries related to coronavirus. The center is manned by dedicated doctors certified in accordance with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Saudi Ministry of Health (MOH) standards." El Missaoui added the COVID-19 pandemic has become an unprecedented challenge for the world and requires unity and solidarity to combat the disease, "for this reason, Bupa Arabia's dedicated Corona Command Center to assist in responding incoming call to MOH's service center (937), in addition to supporting the Ministry's several other initiatives that seek to benefit the community as a whole." He revealed that so far, the center has received over 26,000 calls. As the pandemic continues to escalate, Bupa Arabia has developed a range of solutions in record time to respond to the disease outbreak. "We created a dedicated full-fledged program to deal with COVID-19," El Missaoui highlighted. Globally, Bupa has created a crisis task force in each country it operates in, Bupa Arabia included, in order to tackle the coronavirus and to ensure the provision of the best services to members worldwide. In line with the measures taken to combat the coronavirus, the chronic medical refill and deliver services which is offered by the Tebtom program has been extended to include our members across all its networks. Bupa Arabia has also initiated proactive communications with members who may be vulnerable to the virus based on their age and pre-existing health conditions. More than 300 doctors work with Bupa Arabia, and the Tebtom program has been receiving over 6,000 calls on daily basis. Additionally, Bupa Arabia has partnered with several major hospitals in the eastern, western and central regions to offer telemedicine services to its members. Through this service, members can book for telemedicine sessions using the chosen hospitals' application and communicate with the specialist visually. Bupa Arabia is currently working to expand these services to be offered across the Kingdom. Focusing on the mental well-being of its members and the community, Bupa Arabia has partnered with Labayh, an app offering online educational sessions with experts in mental health. Some of the popular sessions include "How to manage your mental health during this pandemic," presented by Dr. Samira Al-Ghamdi, a consultant psychiatrist for children, adolescents and adults, and "Methods to avoid negative thoughts," presented by Dr. Dima Al-Ateeq, assistant professor of psychiatry at Princess Nourah University. To keep its members consistently informed about the latest developments on COVID-19, Bupa Arabia is regularly sending out text messages and customized notifications containing awareness and precautionary measures through its mobile app. Moreover, Bupa Arabia is proactively using its social media accounts to provide updates and ensure connectivity across all its segments. The company has also created dedicated channels and communications to spread awareness on COVID-19. — SG
