Hon’ble Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare, Dr. Harsh Vardhan flags off Max Bupa Walk for Health in Delhi

15,000 Families Walk for Health with Max Bupa in Delhi

Delhi, November 9, 2014: Max Bupa Health Insurance hosted the third edition of its flagship event, Max Bupa Walk for Health in Delhi and Mumbai today. Hon’ble Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare, Dr. Harsh Vardhan was the chief guest at the Max Bupa Walk for Health event in Delhi. Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Manasije Mishra, CEO, Max Bupa and Rahul Khosla, MD, Max India, flagged off the five kilometre walk in the city. Max Bupa Walk for Health is a first of its kind initiative which has been educating families about the benefits of walking to bring about a positive and long term sustainable behavioural change in their health and overall wellbeing. Over the last three years, Max Bupa has encouraged more than 60,000 people in the country to walk regularly.

The event witnessed an overwhelming participation of more than 15,000 families in Delhi and Mumbai who pledged to incorporate more walking into their daily routine. The event also saw 5000 school children, large walking communities, colleges and corporates participate in huge numbers. Famous toon characters Chhota Bheem and Ben10 flagged off the two kilometre walk for children and senior citizens. The Mumbai edition of the walk was flagged off by actor and health icon, Shilpa Shetty Kundra.

Flagging off the walk, Hon’ble Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare, Dr. Harsh Vardhan said “In recent years, the reports released by WHO say that almost 40-45% of the disease burden of the whole world is only because of physical inactivity. I will be very happy as a Health Minister of this country; if I can make 122 crore Indians walk for least half an hour every day”.

Talking about the success of the third edition of Max Bupa Walk for Health, Manasije Mishra, CEO, Max Bupa said, “As a committed health partner it is our endeavour to help our customers and the public at large live healthier and more successful lives. We are delighted with the unprecedented response and support that our event has received from families in Delhi and Mumbai  Through Max Bupa Walk for Health, we have motivated more than 60, 000 people over the last three years, to add walking into their daily lifestyle. Our Walk for Health study reveals that over 90% of doctors recommend walking, however more than 75% patients with chronic ailments are not walking enough. Our aim is to remind individuals and families about the multiple health benefits of walking and encourage them to take out time to walk regularly with their loved ones.”

Commenting on the occasion, Rahul Khosla, MD, Max India, said, “Max Group is in the business of life and it is our constant endeavour to encourage people to stay healthy and actively avert lifestyle diseases. The Max Bupa Walk for Health is an extension of our Sevabhav and our commitment to promote good health by spread awareness about the benefits of walking and encourage people to build more walking into their everyday life to enhance their overall well being.”

Flagging off the 5 kilometer walk in Delhi latest Bollywood sensation, actor Kriti Sanon (of Heropanti fame) said, “Health should be a priority for everyone, from young to the old. Walking, if done regularly and correctly, is a sure shot way to achieve your dream fitness levels. I walk regularly and recommend it to everyone. I am glad to be associated with a noble initiative like Max Bupa Walk for Health that combines walking, good health and family bonding.”

The event was attended by people of different age groups including celebrities, health enthusiasts, school children, customers, agents, partners and employees of Max Group companies with their friends and family. Celebrity like Mandira Bedi also participated in Max Bupa Walk for Health in Delhi. Also a host of leading brands like Fitness First, Cafe Coffee Day, Aava, Yakult, Canon, GoQii, among others associated with the annual initiative this year. Max Bupa Walk for Health 2014 offered a plethora of entertainment and fitness activities for the participants.

Note to the editors:

About Max Bupa Health Insurance

Max Bupa Health Insurance is a, 74:26, joint venture between Max India Limited, a multi-business corporate with expertise in life insurance and health care and Bupa Global, a leading international healthcare provider with 65 years of healthcare knowledge. Max Bupa brings together a combination of Bupa Global’s health insurance expertise and customer service expertise with Max India’s understanding and experience of the Indian health and insurance sectors. Max Bupa offers quality health insurance services through a dedicated team of over 1300 people and its network of 25 offices across 16 cities - Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai, Bangalore, Pune, Ludhiana, Chandigarh, Jaipur, Surat, Kochi, Kolkata, Patna, Goa, Jodhpur, Ludhiana and Gurgaon. Max Bupa offers individual and family oriented health insurance policies for Indians across all age groups.

Strong Network of 3500 hospitals

Max Bupa Health Insurance has a direct working relationship with a network of over 3500 top quality hospitals and healthcare providers and at the same time the company plans to extend its network of hospitals to other parts of the country. Max Bupa services customers directly without third party involvement. For more details about the company and a list of all our network hospitals please visit www.maxbupa.com.

About Max India

The Max India Group is a multi-business corporate, driven by the spirit of enterprise and focused on people and service oriented businesses. The Company is headquartered in New Delhi, India. Max India is in the ‘Businesses of Life’ with its vision to be one of India’s most admired corporates for service excellence – in what we do, how we do it and the positive impact we have on society and our stakeholders. It ‘Protects Life’ through its Life Insurance subsidiary Max Life, a joint [1]venture between Max India and Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance, Japan; ‘Cares for Life’ through its Healthcare company, Max Healthcare, a joint venture between Max India and Life Healthcare, South Africa; ‘Enhances Life’ through its Health Insurance company, Max Bupa Health Insurance, a joint venture between Max India and Bupa Finance Plc., UK; ’Rejuvenates Life’ through its Senior Living business  Antara, a fully owned subsidiary of Max India and ‘Improves Life’ through its Clinical Research business, Max Neeman, a fully owned subsidiary of Max India. The Group also continues its interest in manufacture of Speciality Products for the packaging industry through its fully owned subsidiary Max Speciality Films

The Group’s businesses have built commanding presence in their respective sector, through a total customer base of nearly 7 million, over 300 offices spread across India and a people strength of over 70,000 persons. Max India remains committed to excellence in Corporate Governance and recognizes that in today’s world, it is an important driver for building all round excellence, attracting high-quality talent and intelligent capital. The Group and its companies are Shareholder steered, Board governed and Executive managed. The Board thoroughly evaluates business performance on nine strategic levers - enhancing business performance, investing in people and organisational development, creating efficiency in capital management, adopting an integrated enterprise-wide approach, investing sensibly in new growth opportunities, maintaining the highest standards of governance, continuously improving service quality, developing a distinct corporate brand and effectively managing risk. 

The flagship company Max India Limited is a widely held public limited company, listed on the BSE & the NSE. Analjit Singh, Founder & Chairman, is the lead shareholder in Max India with around 40% holding. Other leading shareholders in the company include some of world’s leading Institutional Investors, such as Goldman Sachs, International Finance Corporation, Washington (IFC), and Temasek Holdings.

About Bupa: 65 years of Health and Care

Bupa’s purpose is longer, healthier, happier lives. A leading international healthcare group, Bupa serves over 22 million customers in more than 190 countries. The company offers personal and company financed health insurance and medical subscription products, runs hospitals, provides workplace health services, home healthcare, health assessments and long-term condition management services. Bupa is also a major international provider of nursing and residential care for elderly people. Its services also include primary care and diagnostic centres, and dental centres.

With no shareholders, Bupa invests its profits to provide more and better healthcare and fulfil its purpose. The company employs more than 70,000 people, principally in the UK, Australia, Spain, Poland and New Zealand, as well as in Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, India, Thailand, China, Chile and the USA.

The company began operations in 1947 in the UK, when 17 provident associations joined together to form Bupa with the purpose of “preventing, relieving and curing sickness and ill health of every kind”. Its history goes back even earlier in Australia where its business was founded in the 1930s to provide a solution for people who could not afford doctors’ fees.

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