AIA Sri Lanka announced the renewal of its partnership with the Sri Lanka Cancer Society for the third consecutive year, for 2021. AIA will continue to donate Rs. 100/- on behalf of every new policy sold in the year, to the Sri Lanka Cancer Society. The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in this regard was signed between AIA CEO Nikhil Advani and Cancer Society Chairperson Nihal Rodrigo.
In 2019, AIA reached out to the Cancer Society in honour of it being AIA Group’s centennial year. A MOU was signed, with AIA pledging to donate Rs. 100 for every new policy sold that year, resulting in a donation of almost Rs. 5 Mn at the end of the year.
The MOU was renewed in 2020 and again in 2021, despite the challenges of the Covid pandemic and AIA continued to honour its pledge, resulting in a donation of almost Rs. 4.7 Mn for the year. The funds donated are being used by the Cancer Society for the provision of care and solace to needy cancer patients as well as increasing awareness on the prevention and treatment of cancer, which is a rapidly growing concern in Sri Lanka.
AIA CEO, Nikhil Advani explained, “As the best life insurance company in Sri Lanka (awarded by the Global Banking and Finance Review 2019, 2020), we are committed to making a tangible difference in the lives of Sri Lankans. We prioritize our promise of helping people live heathier, longer, better lives and community service is a huge part of bringing that promise to life”.
He added, “Non–Communicable Diseases, such as cancer remain a very real problem in Sri Lanka and are responsible for approx. 80% of deaths, which is well above the global rate of 63%. Cancer is one of the nation’s leading health concerns and requires specialised treatment and more so, a dedicated care and support system for the patients and their families-and we truly appreciate the good work that the Sri Lanka Cancer Society are doing in this regard. It gives all our staff, wealth planners and partners great purpose to know that we are helping the battle against this dreaded illness, physically, financially and emotionally”.
Cancer Society Chairperson, Nihal Rodrigo thanked AIA for their continued support. He said, “A sign of a strong partnership is when you support each other come rain or shine, and AIA certainly did stand by us, even in the face of a crippling pandemic. We do appreciate that despite the economic challenges during the pandemic, AIA continued to provide the promised financial support, which was immeasurably helpful in running our hospices and treating needy cancer patients during a very tough time. We are delighted to see this partnership renewed for the third year and look forward to strengthening our battle against cancer with the strength and support of AIA”.
He added, “We use the significant contributions made by AIA largely towards the operation and upkeep of ‘Shantha Sevana’ a 32 bed hospice care facility as well as the ‘Bandaranayake Memorial Homes’, which provides a transit home and care facilities to needy patients seeking treatment at the National Cancer Institute, the Apeksha Hospital. We rely on external support to provide direct care for patients who are undergoing this ordeal while doing everything possible to ensure they receive the best of care and support, both medically and emotionally. So, it means a lot to us to have AIA come forward and continue their support for our cause”.
