Nearly one billion people globally suffer from a form of mental illness – 13 per cent of the world’s population – yet it is still one of the most misunderstood areas of health.
It has been suggested that people are more unlikely to seek help for mental health issues if it is connected to their employer or workplace, for fear of stigma. Although Mediclinic currently offers coverage of psychiatry and psychology treatments for employees within the Mediclinic network, from October 1, on top of the existing cover in place, an additional allowance will be given to all members and insured dependents through the existing medical insurance policy to make use of mental health services outside the Mediclinic network.
“As a healthcare provider, Mediclinic takes the health and wellbeing of its staff extremely seriously,” says Sam Browning, Recruitment Operations and Wellbeing Lead for Mediclinic Middle East. “When it comes to mental health in particular, we believe that everyone should feel comfortable enough to seek help when they need it, and we understand that some Mediclinic employees may prefer to speak to a mental health professional outside the Mediclinic group. We’re delighted that now employees will be able to do just that, using our existing insurance policy, but with no involvement of Mediclinic staff at any point. We hope this initiative will further encourage any member of our team to reach out for mental health support if and when they require it.”
Mediclinic Middle East is part of Mediclinic International, a London Stock Exchange (LSE)-listed private healthcare group with three operating divisions in Switzerland, southern Africa (South Africa and Namibia) and the UAE.
The foundation of Mediclinic lies in the application of rigorous science to improve the lives of patients, through the use of state-of-the-art treatments and technologies to care for patients in an evidence-based environment.
Mediclinic Middle East operates seven hospitals and more than 20 clinics in the UAE with over 900 inpatient beds.
