Embracing holistic wellbeing: The paradigm shift
Moraki Mokgosana | Monday October 16, 2023 06:00
Post COVID-19, across the world, people increasingly began to appreciate the importance of mental health, self-care, and wellbeing.
For some, this may have always been a priority, but for much of us, the concept of work-life balance and the investments we need to make to achieve said balance were never quite clear.
Today, our social consciousness is increasingly alive to the need to decompress, manage stress levels, mitigate against burnout, and simply do things that make us feel good – eating better, exercising more, and taking better care of mind, body and soul. Botswana, like many other countries, is witnessing a growing recognition of the importance of holistic wellbeing.
As we talk about fulfilling our national vision, delivering on the Reset Agenda, and attaining the very aspects of our Sustainable Development Goals, we recognise that it begins with a mindset shift and a behavioural change here and now. Does our healthcare system and the medical aid that supports this reflect that? Times are changing, and we need to evolve with them. Botswana Medical Aid Society (Bomaid) recognised this well before the pandemic, and yet that turbulent time almost accelerated the realisation of what needed to be done. It was, by and large, one of the easiest decisions we ever made, ensuring we supported Members through testing, hospitalisation cover and more, and then re-geared ourselves, our structures, our teams and our strategy to transform wellness and redefine health beyond just physical wellbeing and, certainly, beyond just the medical or clinical. We owe it to our Members to adapt to this changing landscape and expand our offerings to cater to their full needs. By embracing holistic wellbeing, we know that we can play a vital role in promoting healthier and more fulfilling lives for individuals across the nation.
This has now become of the utmost priority. Recent data shows that 95% of Batswana consume unhealthy diets on average. 45% of deaths are caused by non-communicable diseases (NCDs), and NCDs such as hypertension and diabetes can in many cases be caused and/or exacerbated by poor diets. The correlation is clear. What we need to do is wholly evident.
It necessitates a true mindset shift, however, for us and for society at large. We are well beyond the time when providing coverage for physical health concerns is sufficient - doctor visits, hospital stays, and prescription medications. This will always be important, but it means we are being reactive rather than taking control to mitigate health issues before they occur. And what of happiness? Being healthy inherently makes one happier, more productive, more effective at work and at home, and thus a greater contributor to our social-economic growth.
This necessitates investment in more holistic health and happiness aspects, expanding the concept of health to encompass mental, emotional, and social aspects too. Recognising this shift, we now broaden our scope, our infrastructure and our thinking to champion holistic wellbeing. Our goal is not only better health outcomes, but, ultimately, better socio-economic outcomes. We are doing this by reframing how we engage with Members, how we support education and empowerment around wellness and wellbeing, and how we address access and inclusion to the very tools, platforms and advisory on health and happiness. First things first, we need to ensure healthier and happier people, for a healthier, happier, more resilient and more productive Botswana. A Botswana that can ward off any health or social crisis, and that actively embraces the opportunity to feel good.
*Moraki Mokgosana is Bomaid CEO and Principal Officer