The National Health Insurance Company – Daman has won two awards at the highly coveted Global Economic Awards 2021. The UAE’s leading health insurer was commended for its ongoing commitment to innovation, as well as its agile and comprehensive response to the COVID-19 pandemic, winning the Most Innovative Health Insurance Company and the Best New CEO in the Health Insurance Sector awards.
Held annually, the Global Economic Awards celebrate achievement and innovation across a range of industry vectors, including insurance, healthcare, finance and energy.
H.E. Khalid bin Shaiban Almehairi, Chairman of the National Health Insurance Company – Daman, said: “The receipt of these awards is demonstrative of the success of Daman’s sustained strategic vision: providing smart innovative solutions that enable sustainable access to quality healthcare and, in doing so, protect the health of our nation.”
Daman’s commitment to innovation
Daman’sagile response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the company’s continued commitment to the evolution of its digital service portfolio, saw it awarded the Most Innovative Health Insurance Company award.
Daman’s long term and ongoing investment in its digital infrastructure enabled the company to effectively respond, at speed, to moving its workforce to home working. Within 10 days, the company was able to switch 1,300 of its employees to remote working, allowing them to continue to provide 24/7 assistance to Daman’s 2.5 million members.
Daman has continuously invested in innovation and its recent successes have been enabled by its long-term commitment to digital transformation.
In February 2021, Daman launched the GCC’s first fully virtual smart branch service to satisfy soaring demand for digital interactions from its members. The launch of the Hayakom Thiqa smart branches allowed the company’s Thiqa members to access its entire range of health insurance solutions online, removing the need for them to visit a branch and enabling them to proactively manage their healthcare needs while practicing social distancing and staying at home during the pandemic.
Following the strong success of Hayakom Thiqa, Daman subsequently opened up its smart branch offering to all 2.5 million of its members.
Strong leadership in a time of disruption
Daman’s Chief Executive Officer, Hamad Al Mehyas, won the prestigious Best New CEO in the Health Insurance Sector award. Daman announced Al Mehyas as CEO in August 2020 following a provisional ‘acting’ period from 2019. He has presided over a number of key initiatives during his tenure. He oversaw the company’s effective response to the pandemic and has also driven Daman’s sustained move to digital service offerings for its members.
Hamad Al Mehyas, Chief Executive Officer of the National Health Insurance Company – Daman, commented: “This award is a recognition of the effectiveness of the strategic vision of Daman, and the impact of each of our talented colleagues in ensuring our company continues to provide quality and sustainable healthcare access to all in the UAE.
“As a trusted government partner, we are invested in the long-term success of the UAE’s healthcare sector. For us, this isn’t merely another market. The UAE is our home, and we are fully committed to bringing cutting edge healthcare access to all our members.”
In addition to his position as CEO of the UAE’s biggest health insurance company, Mr Al Mehyas is also a key figure in the insurance sector, playing a crucial role in the evolution and development of the industry. Mr Al Mehyas constantly promotes the image of the insurance industry to the wider community, including lobbying the government and regulatory bodies. He is heavily involved with the Emirates Insurance Association where he sits on the Association’s Board as Vice Chairman, Chairman of Higher Technical Committee, as well as Chairman of the Life & Medical Committee and Chairman of the Emiratisation Committee.
Daman is an Emirati led firm with 30% of all Emiratis working in the UAE’s insurance sector, working for the company.
The Global Economics Awards is an annual awards programme that aims to recognise and reward key players in the global market form range of economic sectors; Insurance, Banking, Finance, Real Estate, Technology, Energy & Utilities, Transportation, Leadership, Healthcare, and Travel & Hospitality.
The awards are organised by The Global Economics Limited, a UK based financial publication and a bi-annual print and digital business magazine giving thoughtful insights into the financial sectors on various industries across the world.
Daman has previously won a host of awards from a range of other independent bodies, including the 2018 MENA Insurance Review Health Insurer of the Year award.
