Cambodia: AIA raises breast cancer awareness with campaign

| 19 Sep 2022

AIA (Cambodia) Life Insurance Plc (AIA Cambodia) recently launched its annual Fit for Hope campaign, endorsed this year by the Ministry of Women's Affairs, with an overarching aim to increase awareness, amplify the importance of preventive care measures and help Cambodian women embrace a healthier lifestyle.

The launch was attended by guest-of-honour Minister of Women’s Affairs HE Dr Ing Kantha Phavi, AIA Cambodia Chief Executive Officer Mr Andrew Loh, Sihanouk Hospital Center of Hope (SHCH) representatives, AIA staff, life planners and business partners. 

The month-long campaign will also focus on raising funds to enhance SHCH’s high-quality screenings, counselling and breast cancer treatments as well as make available affordable health insurance solutions nationwide.

AIA Cambodia will further benefit long-term partner SHCH by continuing to support their breast cancer department. The non-profit hospital, which partnered AIA Cambodia for the inaugural campaign five years ago, operates the nation’s longest-running breast cancer programme and offers free screenings and other diagnosis and procedures for those unable to pay. 

The insurer will complement these initiatives by providing free breast cancer checkups and health education in four provinces – Kampot, Kampong Cham, Siem Reap and Battambang, and three locations in Phnom Penh – SHCH, City Tower and Factory Phnom Penh. The highlight of Fit for Hope’s on-ground activities is a ‘Pink Walk’ and concert at Koh Pich on 22 October, which coincides with International Breast Cancer Awareness month. 

Additionally, AIA Cambodia staff and life planners will be empowered to take on new roles as breast cancer advocates, which will see them equipped with information on the disease.

HE Dr Ing Kantha Phavi said: “Breast cancer is today the world’s most commonly diagnosed cancer and the most prevalent cause of cancer death in women. We wish to educate women nationwide that they have the means to combat the disease, which affects them not only physically but also mentally and financially. 

“We applaud AIA Cambodia and SHCH’s annual efforts to highlight the dangers of breast cancer, and will support them to ensure more Cambodian women are better informed about the disease and how screening and early detection makes it easier to treat, offers a higher chance of recovery and saves lives.”

Mr Andrew Loh said, “It’s our great honour that Fit for Hope 2022 has been endorsed by the Ministry of Women’s Affairs. AIA Cambodia first collaborated with the Ministry in April this year on the Promote Health and Financial Wellbeing for Cambodian Women project to further empower gender equality and women’s rights. We thank them for joining us in this campaign and look forward to increasing awareness of breast cancer on a larger scale. 

“We are also delighted to once again hold our on-ground activities, which were postponed due to the pandemic. These create a long-term impact, reach out to more Cambodians, and allow us to connect with them on a one-to-one basis and ensure a fluent exchange of information between Cambodians and SHCH personnel, AIA Life Planners and our staff.”

He added that AIA Cambodia was honoured to continue their partnership with SHCH, an organisation that has worked tirelessly for close to four decades to battle breast cancer. The collaboration also enables AIA Cambodia to achieve their purpose to help Cambodians live Healthier, Longer and Better Lives and aligns with the AIA Group’s AIA One Billion initiative to help one billion people in Asia do the same by 2030.