Heart To Heart

As a life insurer, it makes natural sense for Manulife Singapore to channel its corporate social responsibility initiatives on health and wellness issues. But why the particular focus on cardiovascular disease? Terence Lim gets the answers from chief customer officer Kwek-Perroy Li Choo

- Terence Lim

ON INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S Day in March, Manulife Singapore rolled out Stop the Drama, a digital awareness campaign to educate people on the early symptoms of a heart attack. This is a timely intervention as heart disease is the leading cause of death among women in Singapore. Yet, most people Manulife polled in its Heart Health Survey are not aware of the symptoms of a heart attack.

“The idea was actually sparked off by a friend, who realized that the symptoms of a heart attack are not always what we usually see on TV or in the movies. We discussed the idea with the Singapore Heart Foundation and realized that there was more that Manulife can do with an education piece,” explained Kwek-Perroy Li Choo, chief customer officer of Manulife Singapore, on one of the financial services provider’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) projects this year.

“The idea of the campaign is to debunk the myth of the overly dramatized symptoms of heart attacks. Actors hone their craft in masterclasses and the best way to correct misconceptions surrounding heart attack symptoms was to get [a credible actor like Lim] Kay Tong to show younger actors what a heart attack might really look like,” said Kwek-Perroy. In one of the campaign’s accompanying videos, the homegrown thespian gave a drama masterclass to a group of young actors, dishing out tips on portraying heart attack situations. While unconventional, this approach made for a unique way for Manulife to further explain and raise awareness about the warning signs of a real-life heart attack, which may differ between men and women.