today is world diabetes day.
why is this relevant to singapore?
in our tiny red dot nation, there is a worrying trend that diabetes is afflicting more people. in the 70s, it was just 2%, in the 80s, it was double at 4% and latest statistics show 11.3% of the population has diabetes. more significantly, 14% of our population are already pre-diabetic. indians and malays are at higher risk of contracting diabetes while the chinese has an almost 10% of the same risk*. the idf (international diabetes federation) estimates that, globally, 187 million people do not yet know they are suffering from the condition.
*source: radio 93.8 body and soul program hosted by daniel martin
my comments:
to lower the risk, lifestyle changes is a key factor in delaying the onset of diabetes, especially among those who are already obese.
in terms of insurance planning, 1st generation critical illness products do not have coverage for diabetes but more recent critical illness products which i term as 2nd generation ci products* come with this coverage. having said this, it must be stressed that the coverage is specifically defined and capped with a low sum assured.
*for example, prudential pruearly stage crisis cover is the first insurance policy of its kind in Singapore to make payouts for selected diabetic complications. A payout of 20% of the sum assured will be made upon diagnosis of one of the covered Diabetic complications, up to a limit of S$30,000. Diabetic complications covered include Diabetic Retinopathy, Diabetic Nephropathy or amputation of part of limb due to gangrene.
in the final analysis, the best defence against diabetes (as in most diseases) is managing one's lifestyle.
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