Tackling rising cancer care costs will be one of the prime issues for Dr Subashini M who is re-joining Aviva in the newly created role of medical director specialising in oncology and sustainability.
Dr Subashini (pictured) left her role as associate medical director at Aviva in September 2021 for the world of retail as director of science and wellness at Holland and Barrett.
However 15 months later she has returned to Aviva and spoke to Health & Protection about what her new role entails, her objectives over the coming year and why returning to Aviva was a “no brainer”.
On her new role, Dr Subashini said there were urgent issues the healthcare sector is grappling with such as oncology, with one in two people affected by cancer.
“The costs of getting and treating people with a cancer diagnosis is only increasing,” she said.
“And it is a big issue not just for the NHS but also for employers and for insurance companies; from the cost perspective and that it is affecting so many of us. It is a burning issue that needs to be looked at.
“So my role is to think about it from a proposition as well as the wider impact of how you can offer accessible, affordable cancer solutions to more people.”
This also because consumer appetite for private medical insurance (PMI) has also completely changed in her absence, Dr Subashini added.
“Because of everything that’s happening in the public sector, it’s even more acceptable to view PMI as a safety net rather than a luxury purchase,” she continued.
“We have seen is a big uptick in people considering PMI as well.
“I think the wider healthcare system has changed, how healthcare is delivered has changed, what’s acceptable in healthcare has changed as has the appetite for insurance.”
Embedding sustainability across the business
The current state of healthcare in the UK also meant that when the opportunity to return to Aviva as a medical director focusing on oncology and environmental, social and governance (ESG) arose, it was a “no brainer”.
The ESG element of her new role is aligned with the three core areas of focus in Aviva’s sustainability ambition which includes looking at and acting on climate change, building a stronger, more resilient Britain and embedding sustainability across the business.
Dr Subashini explained this is more than just looking after the planet as getting to net zero also has an impact on population health and plays a role in building resilient communities.
And in terms of building sustainability across the business, Dr Subashini added Aviva was working with its supply chain to help hit the firm’s net zero ambitions.
When asked what success would look like when reflecting on her role in her a year’s time, Dr Subashini said she would really like health to be firmly embedded in Aviva’s sustainability ambitions.
“We’ve got lots of propositions which are key to diversity and inclusion in terms of supporting the workforce, but to be able to articulate, to say, this is what it looks like,” she said.
“This is what an insurer, especially from a health offering perspective, can stand for and promise to our customers in terms of ESG and equally from an oncology perspective.”
PMI seen as a safety net
While not elaborating on why she left Holland and Barrett, she noted one of the reasons for moving there was “the itch” to experience the start-up world.
Her role with the retailer meant she would be working at a start-up within the large corporate, setting up a new function and developing product and solutions – both instore and digitally for customers.
Reflecting on what else has changed across the sector in her 15 months away, Dr Subashini highlighted there were now more healthcare suppliers in the market.
“There are a lot more players in the market – not from an insurance perspective but how people consume healthcare,” she said.
“So there’s a big vacuum within where healthcare stands and what’s offered in the community in hospital and by healthcare providers to how people think about their health and what they want to do for themselves.
“It might just be about wellness but essentially what is health, who should be giving health advice, and how do you access things that make you stay well and get better? That’s really diversified.
“There are also digital solutions – we’re talking about AI, so there’s lots of different technological, digital developments as well.”
