Health x Wellness
Putting The Brakes On Pneumonia
New campaign aimed at taxi drivers to reduce incidence of Pneumonia – Singapore’s second leading cause of death.
Pfizer, in partnership with the National Taxi Association (NTA) and Parkway Shenton, is reaching out to taxi drivers to educate them about Pneumonia and also offer discounted vaccinations to help curb the growing rate of the disease – Singapore’s second leading cause of death.
This initiative kicked off at Orchid Country Club, with 200 taxi drivers invited by NTA. The medical talk and onsite vaccination was conducted by Parkway Shenton for the taxi drivers and aimed to educate them about Pneumonia and how to reduce the risk of this vaccine-preventable disease.
“Taxi drivers in Singapore spend an average of 12 hours on the roads and are usually in constant engagement with different commuters. Taxi drivers need to take charge of their health, so that they continue to provide good services and earn a living for their families. NTA hopes that more taxi drivers acknowledge the importance of such preventive care, and have themselves immunised against this vaccine preventable disease,” said Ang Hin Kee, executive advisor to NTA.
According to Dr Koh Hau-Tek, Medical Director of Parkway Shenton, “More than 50 per cent of taxi drivers are aged 50 and above. This moderately high proportion of older drivers are predisposed to Pneumonia especially when working long hours in enclosed environments. We are hence glad to partner NTA and Pfizer to improve the well-being of our taxi drivers in Singapore and help them avoid such infections. Ng Aik Kiat, Corporate Affairs at Pfizer Singapore said “At Pfizer, we are happy to partner the NTA and Parkway Shenton for this very meaningful initiative. We recognise that an important part of ageing is remaining healthy and active so that you can continue to work or enjoy time with family and friends. Through this initiative, we hope to educate and equip the taxi drivers about preventive care as their first line of defense against diseases such as pneumonia.”
This initiative for taxi drivers will run till the end of the year and taxi drivers can go to designated Parkway Shenton clinics across Singapore to enjoy the discounted vaccinations.
