Media Release

From left to right:
(Mr. Krishnamoorthy Sundaresan, General Manager, Pfizer Hong Kong and Macau; Dr. Kenneth Tsang, Chief Executive Officer, Gleneagles Hospital Hong Kong and Regional Chief Executive Officer of IHH Healthcare North Asia; Mr. Fred Ngan, Co-Founder, Bowtie)

(7 February 2025 - Hong Kong) Bowtie, Hong Kong’s first virtual insurer, collaborates with Gleneagles Hospital Hong Kong and Pfizer Hong Kong to promote health education. With the aim of encouraging citizens to address their health conditions, identifying the causes early, and improving their quality of life; the three parties will provide free health education information, simple online self-assessments, and support for professional medical consultations.

The Primary Healthcare Blueprint indicates that only about 23% of the Hong Kong population has a regular family doctor, making it difficult for family doctors to play a significant role in medical coordination and referral at the community level; this also reflects the difficulty for the general public to understand their own health conditions. Without professional knowledge, individuals may suffer from diseases without being aware of them.

Migraine is one of the most easily overlooked diseases. Studies show that there are over 1 billion migraine patients worldwide, with a high incidence rate in Hong Kong at 12.5%, meaning that 1 in every 8 individuals is affected, equating to over 900,000 patients in Hong Kong. Migraine is classified as the "second leading cause of disability in the world", it can cause moderate to severe headaches, accompanied by symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, phonophobia, and photophobia, lasting for 4 to 72 hours, significantly affecting patients' lives.

Reference to a previous local survey on the recognition and treatment of migraine, most respondents have misconceptions about migraine, such as assuming it cannot be cured or prevented, considering it only affects one side of the head, and won’t last for a long time. Regarding migraine, only a few patients actively seek medical support, while others self-medicate with painkillers. Inadequate control of their condition can lead to "chronic migraine", resulting in more than 15 headache days per month which would persist for over 3 months; while frequent and indiscriminate use of painkillers can also lead to "medication overuse headache", worsening the condition.

Recognizing these issues, Bowtie, Gleneagles Hospital Hong Kong, and Pfizer Hong Kong advocate for health education to raise awareness about migraine, with the objective of enhancing public understanding of migraine, the three parties will plan to hold offline health seminars, creating educational materials such in written and video format.

Additionally, to help potential patients identify their health problems, Pfizer Hong Kong will provide a simple online self-assessment for general public. Users only need to answer five questions to preliminarily understand their migraine health status; Bowtie customers identified as high-risk through the self-assessment will have the opportunity to receive a half-priced outpatient consultation discount with a one-on-one medical consultation with neurology specialist at Gleneagles.

Mr. Fred Ngan, Co-founder of Bowtie, stated: "As an online insurance company, Bowtie places great emphasis on insurance and health education. We are delighted to collaborate with Gleneagles Hospital Hong Kong and Pfizer Hong Kong to make previously hard-to-access information transparent, significantly increasing people's awareness of migraines and the importance of their health, thus encouraging them to seek professional support."

Dr. Kenneth Tsang, Chief Executive Officer of Gleneagles Hospital Hong Kong and Regional Chief Executive Officer of IHH Healthcare North Asia, says: "Gleneagles Hospital Hong Kong is committed to providing quality medical services while actively promoting the development of primary healthcare through various initiatives, including health education, to enhance public awareness of different diseases and health consciousness. Through this collaboration with Bowtie and Pfizer Hong Kong, we believe that people’s understanding of migraines will be deepened and those in need will be able to receive timely and professional medical support."

Mr. Krishnamoorthy Sundaresan, General Manager of Pfizer Hong Kong and Macau, said, "Pfizer Hong Kong has always been committed to bringing patients innovative breakthroughs that change their lives. We understand that migraines not only cause physical distress, but also seriously affect patients’ quality of life, including work, study, leisure, and social activities. Therefore, we believe this collaboration will significantly increase public awareness on this disease and its subsequent burden, encouraging patients to face the problem, and build a more supportive social environment for them."