Life insurer, AIA will conduct a charity walk ‘AIA Walk for Life’ in aid of the Sri Lanka Heart Association (SLHA), as part of the company’s centennial celebrations.
It will be held today, February 10 at the Race Course Grounds Colombo. (Registrations start at 6.30 a.m.)
AIA will donate Rs. 1,000 to the SLHA, on behalf of each person who joins the walk.
AIA CEO Pankaj Banerjee said, “Non-Communicable Disease is a very real problem in Sri Lanka, and is responsible for over 75% of deaths, which is well above the global rate of 63%. As a company that prioritizes making a positive difference in the community’s health and wellness, we wanted to link our centennial celebrations to a worthy cause. Coronary Heart Disease caused almost 25% of total deaths in Sri Lanka (as per the WHO, 2017) and it is most likely that many of us know someone affected by heart disease.”
The President of the Sri Lanka Heart Association, Dr. Duminda Samarasinghe said, “It is great that a leading global insurer is concerned about the welfare of Sri Lankans and is addressing the issue of heart disease, which is a primary concern in the country. What is notably lacking is an informed awareness on the prevention and management of heart disease, and that is something we want to prioritise.
“We also need better training exposure and resources for our staff, so they can provide better, more specialised treatment to patients with heart disease. We welcome this donation from AIA on behalf of all of you who will join the walk and look forward to making a meaningful impact on preventing and managing heart disease in the country,” he said.