South Africa: Cansa brings health experts and services to the workplace

Zawya

3 days ago

'We know only too well that the workplace often leaves employees little or no time to seek out medical advice from healthcare professionals,' says Lorraine Govender, the Cancer Association of South Africa's (Cansa) national manager: health promotion. 'We also know that this often leads people to input their symptoms into Google or other search platforms, hoping to get sensible answers and advice.'
Most people are reluctant to seek proactive medical advice due to a complex interplay of social, cultural, psychological, and systemic factors. Practical barriers such as having to take off from work, long waiting times, limited access to healthcare providers, are some of the factors.
Cancer symptoms alone draw hundreds of thousands of Google searches each month worldwide.
''Dr Google' is a poor substitute for regular cancer screenings and medical check-ups by health experts,' warns Govender. 'The generic and sometimes conflicting advice generated by Google and AI-powered services such as Copilot and ChatGPT, often leads to more confusion and can result in missed diagnoses of serious illness.
'As Corporate Wellness Week (1 to 5 July) approaches, it is an excellent time to come up with solutions to this challenge,' adds Govender.
Bringing a health solution into the workplace
A proactive approach by companies to employee health, lowers the risk of illness and chronic diseases, resulting in fewer sick days and less absenteeism rates. This directly contributes to maintaining business continuity and reducing disruptions.
Cansa has developed a comprehensive employee wellness programme that brings general health and cancer screening, as well as health-boosting advice into the workplace.
'We take a multi-faceted approach to assist employees to lower their risk of not only cancer, but also other non-communicable diseases, such as diabetes and heart disease,' explains Govender. 'Through a range of services and activities, we promote the benefits of a healthy work environment and how employees can improve their health through positive lifestyle changes and regular medical check-ups.'
Employers should be aware that receiving a cancer diagnosis does not mean employees would have to work fewer hours or quit their careers. Although cancer can be devastating, the likelihood of a successful outcome is significantly increased when the disease is detected early.
The benefits are far reaching for both employers and employees. When companies bring health services into the workplace, it helps them to towards achieving several sustainable development goals, such as ensuring the good health and wellbeing of employees, enabling a healthy workforce that contributes to productivity, job satisfaction and sustainable economic growth, and promoting inclusivity and equality in the workplace. Employee wellness programmes are not just a perk, but a strategic investment for employers seeking to improve organisational performance and workplace culture. Investing in employee wellness builds a healthier, more resilient, and motivated workforce, which is crucial for organisational success in a competitive business environment.
How it works
This service is paid for by the employer and is free to employees. "The frequency of the programme throughout the year is based on each company's needs. We can run it as a one-day initiative, extend it over several days, or repeat it multiple times a year – depending on the organisation's request,' explains Govender.
In addition to providing health screenings and advice, Cansa's corporate wellness days or events may include educational talks and interactive exhibitions featuring cancer-related topics and tips to lower cancer risk. Presentations, for example, can focus on the top cancers affecting men and affecting women in South Africa. Leaflets on these topics and more may be provided, as well as models to help to demonstrate self-examination techniques.
Help to reduce cancer statistics
Concludes Govender: 'The importance of health risk assessments and screenings cannot be overstated. Cancer is a fast-growing health priority around the world and in South Africa. According to the 2021 Percept Report, the incidence of cancer in South Africa, is set to double to 220,000 new cases a year by 2030.'
Companies can help to reduce South Africa's cancer risk by working with Cansa to reduce their employees' health risks.