Sun Life Philippines (Sun Life) is a trusted health partner among many Filipino families. The company has realized that times are changing and so do people’s health conditions and needs. With recent discoveries, Sun Life is ramping up its efforts to fight diabetes through awareness and prevention. They are also pro-actively campaigning for a healthier lifestyle. Read more about their new advocacy.

Diabetes is a Health Crisis on Its Own

Diabetes is a chronic health condition that starts with how the body turns food into energy. Normally, the food that we eat is broken down into sugar (a.k.a. glucose), released into the bloodstream, and is eventually converted into energy. However, diabetes disables the body’s capacity to create insulin or hinders its proper production.

The sad thing is, diabetes doesn’t just stop there. It is the precursor to many health problems, such as high blood pressure, kidney disease, vision impairment, and heart disease. And it is a very common condition in the Philippines. It has been reported that in the Philippines, 1 in 14 Filipino adults lives with diabetes.

Fight Diabetes in the Philippines

The prevalence of diabetes in the Philippines has affected the quality of life of many families. For one, genetics play a big role in the occurrence of diabetes in the family. Plus, the co-morbities that diabetes brings affect everyone’s health as well as finances. And the worst is, diabetes is one of the leading causes of death, even among young adults.

Thankfully, diabetes can be curbed with prevention, such as making lifestyle changes, losing weight, and physical activity. Since Sun Life wants to see people live a brighter life and have a brighter future, they are now actively taking part in the advocacy to fight diabetes in the Philippines.

The Sun Life Diabetes Corner

The effort to fight diabetes and bring down the number of patients in the country is was kicked off with the launch of the Sun Life Diabetes Corner. These data corners will be integrated into the recently established Sun Life Barangay Health Stations (SLBHS). This is an initiative of the Sun Life Financial-Philippines Foundation Inc. The first station was piloted in Barangay Pansol in Taal, Batangas.

The Diabetes Corner will integrate a diabetes program in order to promote awareness and prevention. Moreover, basic medical services, such as blood sugar screening, will be provided for pre-diabetic patients. Healthy diabetic options will also be shared to diabetic patients in order to better help them manage their condition.

Informative dissemination will be done through fliers and educational videos.

Sun Life intends to install Diabetes Corners in all the barangays in the Philippines within a 5-year time frame.

Sun Life Wellness on Wheels

To bring the message across to more Filipinos, Sun Life will also soon activate the Sun Life Wellness on Wheels. It is a mobile diabetes clinic that will go on a caravan to partner communities. This mobile clinic will conduct blood sugar screening, offer free consultation, and share relevant information in order to fight diabetes amongst our population. This will be implemented in the next phase of the program.

The SUNPIOLOGY Family Challenge

In cooperation with Active Healthy Kids Global Alliance, Sun Life will also launch the SUNPIOLOGY Family Challenge. The aim of this campaign is to make health and wellness a shared goal among families as they fight diabetes.

Partner in Health

All of these programs align with Sun Life’s current campaign dubbed “Partner in Health”, which aims to encourage more Filipinos to live healthier lives for a brighter future.

“Diabetes prevention is a global advocacy for Sun Life. We remain optimistic that with proper education and access to basic medical services, patients will triumph over this debilitating illness.” This was shared by Benedict Sison, Country Head and CEO of Sun Life. “We are grateful for this chance to help our countrymen live healthier and brighter lives.”

About Sun Life

Sun Life is a leading international financial services organization. They provide insurance, wealth, and asset management solutions to individuals and corporate clients. Sun Life has operations is a number of markets around the world. As of June 30, 2021, Sun Life had total assets under management of $1.36 trillion.