Bowtie, Hong Kong’s first virtual insurer, has collaborated with Gleneagles Hospital Hong Kong and Pfizer Hong Kong to promote health education. With the aim of encouraging citizens to address their health conditions, identifying the causes early, and improving their quality of life; the three parties will provide free health education information, simple online self-assessments, and support for professional medical consultations.
The Primary Healthcare Blueprint indicates that only about 23% of the Hong Kong population has a regular family doctor, making it difficult for family doctors to play a significant role in medical coordination and referral at the community level; this also reflects the difficulty for the general public to understand their own health conditions. Without professional knowledge, individuals may suffer from diseases without being aware of them.
Migraine is one of the most easily overlooked diseases. Studies show that there are over 1 billion migraine patients worldwide, with a high incidence rate in Hong Kong at 12.5%, meaning that 1 in every 8 individuals is affected, equating to over 900,000 patients in Hong Kong. Migraine is classified as the "second leading cause of disability in the world", it can cause moderate to severe headaches, accompanied by symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, phonophobia, and photophobia, lasting for 4 to 72 hours, significantly affecting patients' lives.
Reference to a previous local survey on the recognition and treatment of migraine, most respondents have misconceptions about migraine, such as assuming it cannot be cured or prevented, considering it only affects one side of the head, and won’t last for a long time. Regarding migraine, only a few patients actively seek medical support, while others self-medicate with painkillers.
Recognising these issues, Bowtie, Gleneagles Hospital Hong Kong, and Pfizer Hong Kong advocate for health education to raise awareness about migraine, with the objective of enhancing public understanding of migraine, the three parties will plan to hold offline health seminars, creating educational materials such in written and video format.
