MetLife study: Illness plagues Pinoy TNC labor

FILIPINO workers of transnational corporations (TNCs) share the fate of fellow TNC workers in five other countries, a study by insurance firm MetLife Inc. subsidiary revealed.

“General access to affordable health care, the prevalence of chronic disease, and a growing aging labor force are all factors that today’s multinational employers must consider as they develop policies, physical facilities and behavioral standards within the workplace that are supportive of healthy living,” MetLife multinational solutions vice president Rudy Bethea was quoted in a statement as saying.

Bethea based his comments on a study by MetLife that it said “examines the key challenges facing four multinational employers —American Express, Cemex, GSK, and PPG” and their respective employee health and wellness needs.

The report “focuses on employers’ programs in India, Mexico, China, the Philippines, the United Kingdom and the United States.” It addresses the following: country-specific issues leading to differences in health and wellness programs; ways employers are creating a healthy employee culture, including examples of promising practices; program challenges or setbacks; metrics used to measure the success of health and wellness programs; and government-sponsored health care and its impact on the design of wellness plans.

GSK employees in the Philippines cited addiction to illicit drugs, malnutrition and infectious diseases as their major health concerns.

The study noted that the trend in the country’s health care focuses on access.

“Access to health care is a major issue, especially among the poorer population,” said the report titled “The MetLife Study of Global Health and Wellness: A Look at How Multinational Companies are Responding to the Need for a Healthier Workforce.”

Cardiovascular disease was common among employees in India, Mexico and the US, the study said while in the UK, smoking and drug and alcohol abuse are issues of concern.

China, like the Philippines, also cited infectious diseases as among the TNC employees’ major health concern.

“In China and the Philippines, access to consistent health care by the overall population is a problem. Employers with global operations are trying to navigate and address these issues, which have a significant impact on the health of the workforce base,” the report said.

The report added that most Chinese citizens are uninsured: “45 percent  of urban populations and 79 percent of rural populations pay out of pocket for health insurance. Similarly, in the Philippines, about half of health-care costs fall on the individual.”

MetLife said it drew its findings from research commissioned by MetLife Multinational Solutions. It added that six in-depth telephone interviews were conducted in March-April 2010 with US and foreign corporate heads of health-care initiatives at the four multinational companies, which range in size from 40,000 to 90,000 employees worldwide.

The employers operate in 50-130 countries (average 89 countries) in regions including the Americas, Western and Eastern Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Australia, Southeast Asia, and the Asia Pacific. The industries include finance and insurance, manufacturing and pharmaceuticals.

MetLife said “the interviews focused on the benefits and executives’ perception of current challenges in implementing health and wellness programs that align with corporate and strategic goals, as well as the needs of local employees.”

It said the research also reviewed company materials.

“We believe employers can learn from the successes of the four companies featured in the MetLife resource as they navigate the ever-changing global health environment and design cost effective health and wellness programs that address the needs of their employees and their business,” Bethea was quoted as saying. –Dennis D. Estopace / Reporter, Businessmirror