Star Points, HelpAge partnership for a worthy cause

The country's largest loyalty rewards network, Star Points announced the partnership with Help Age enabling a Dialog customer to donate their star points to provide medical and eye care facilities for elders.

HelpAge Sri Lanka Chairman Deshabandu Thilak De Zoysa said at a press conference to announce the launch of this programme at Hotel Taj Samudra, that all funds collected through the Dialog Star points would be channelled through the HelpAge Mobile Medical Units to serve the needy elders.

He said that their mobile medical units have all facilities to treat elders with eye ailments. Zoysa added that 25 per cent of elders need to under go cataract surgery and these surgeries are performed at the HelpAge hospital at Wellawatte free of charge. Ten per cent of Sri Lanka's population are elders and Sri Lanka has been identified as a country with the fastest aging population, he added.

These mobile clinics include medical screening and eye screening services which also helps detect elders suffering from cataract.

Dialog Chairman Hans Wijesuriya said that the response received from Dialog customers so far has been very good and thanked the Dialog customers who have donated the star points towards this worthy cause.

He said that the HelpAge is a creditable organization in terms of governance of its funds and this has also led it to have a partnership with HelpAge for worthy cause.

All funds collected from the Dialog Star Points promotion will be channelled through the HelpAge Mobile Medical Unit to serve the needy elders of Sri Lanka.

The Mobile Medical Unit of HelpAge Sri Lanka is one out of many major projects carried out by the charity, which serves medical and eye care for needy elders totally free of charge.

Each Mobile Medical Clinic costs approximately 70,000 rupees per day to operate and has the ability to screen about 150 elders at no cost to those beneficiaries.

The mobile medical clinic service includes medical screening and eye screening services, which also facilities to detect elders who are suffering from cataract.

Spectacles are issued free of charge to the needy and those who are identified with cataract are referred to the HelpAge eye hospital or to the nearest government hospital for surgery.

"The response received from Dialog customers so far has been very good and we take this opportunity to thank all Dialog customers who have donated the star points towards this worthy cause," xxx xx at HelpAGe Sri Lanka said.

Dialog Axiata's Star Points is fully mobile enabled rewards network which enables Dialog's seven million customers to earn and spend Star Points with 400 plus partner merchants and 20,000 outlets islandwide.

Since its inception, Star Points has offered users a host of value additions including USSD based support functions and the opportunity to exchange points with other leading rewards networks in the country.