ASIA – Prudential has launched a new feature on its holistic health and wealth management app Pulse by Prudential that allows it to scan people’s faces for stress, with Singapore and the Philippines being the first to use it.
This project was made possible through the insurer’s collaboration with Singapore-based digital health firm Nervotec, with the goal of assisting people in better managing and monitoring their health and stress levels on a daily basis.
Users of the Pulse by Prudential app (Pulse) will be able to scan their face with a mobile phone to measure vital signs such as heart rate, heart rate variability, respiration rate, and oxygen saturation levels.
These instant measurements can be used to determine daily stress levels, emotional well-being, and general fitness levels.
The new feature, dubbed “My Pulse Daily,” will initially be available to customers in the Philippines and Singapore.
Pulse is an AI-powered mobile app that aims to provide holistic health and wealth solutions to Prudential’s customers and communities in Asia and Africa.
Lee Boon Huat, Prudential’s Chief Digital Officer, said that the company is expanding its digital health ecosystem to help more people lead healthier lives.
“We continue to enhance the capabilities of Pulse with new features that are relevant to consumers in our 17 markets across Asia and Africa.
“Through Nervotec’s cutting-edge technology, we make it easier for people to access reliable evidence-based information, to better understand how their bodies respond to different activities and be able to take remedial actions to improve their health,” said Mr Lee.
The social and economic uncertainties caused by the Covid-19 pandemic have increased stress.
According to a Milieu survey of six South East Asian countries, Singapore (81 percent) and the Philippines (78 percent) top the list of respondents who agree that living in their countries is stressful, followed by Malaysia (61 percent), Thailand (59 percent), Indonesia (51 percent), and Vietnam (42 percent).
Long-term stress can lead to physical and mental illness. Every year, more than 160,000 Singaporeans are admitted to public hospitals for stress-related illnesses.
Every year, the country spends approximately US$2.3 billion (S$3.1 billion), or 18 percent of its total healthcare expenditure, on stress-related illnesses.
Through Pulse, people can get help to journey towards a healthier self and reduce their risk of disease through the fitness tracker, diet recommendations and telemedicine service.
Pulse is currently available on the Apple/Google Play stores in Cambodia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam in Asia, and Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda and Zambia in Africa.
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