Bowtie signs MOU with Merck to raise women’s health awareness

The two will hold a series of seminars to tackle this issue.

Hong Kong virtual insurer Bowtie has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with global science and technology company Merck Pharmaceuticals (Hong Kong) Limited to promote women’s health and raise public awareness of the potential health risks such as diabetes.

Research by the World Health Organization revealed that Non-communicable diseases (or chronic conditions) are the leading cause of death for women and account for an estimated 65% of all female deaths worldwide, with diabetes, cardiopulmonary diseases and cancers as the most common diseases.

A paper submitted to the International Diabetes Federation Congress in 2019 said that due to the longer life expectancy of women, the accumulated medical costs are also relatively higher. Treatment for local females diagnosed with diabetes at age 45 can cost up to over HKD1m ($130k), 15% more than males of the same age.

READ MORE: Bowtie bags $22.6m in Series B1 funding round

With that, Bowtie and Merck are holding seminars and experiential activities at the 5th Women’s Festival Hong Kong to raise awareness and knowledge of women’s healthcare in the country.

The two also plan to create and disseminate a variety of medical information on topics such as women’s health and diabetes, to urge Hong Kong women to conduct regular body checks, and self-health management, and to ingrain the habit of ‘prevention is better than cure’ into practice.

Bowtie will also provide a select group of its medical insurance customers with the mobile app GlycoLeap launched by Merck to help women manage their eating habits in a smart and easy way.

"We don’t stop at providing medical coverage in the event of an illness, but also promote the importance of preventive care and early diagnosis. Joining hands, we hope to make contributions to the wellbeing of Hong Kong women through this cooperation that combines the strength of our offerings,” Bowtie Chief Medical Officer Jacky Lio said.