Business Extra

As one of the world’s most influential business hubs, the Middle East requires expert attention. Business Extra provides those experts, as well as news and insights from The National’s esteemed team of business editors and reporters, who are on top of the markets, technology, the energy sector and more. The pandemic is increasing demand for mental health services with uncertainty, isolation and loss of income triggering mental health conditions or exacerbating existing ones, the World Health Organisation said this week. “Covid-19 has interrupted essential mental health services around the world just when they’re needed most,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director general. Paying close attention to this secondary crisis taking shape is Jerome Droesch, CEO of Cigna MEA. He joins co-hosts Mustafa Alrawi and Kelsey Warner this week to discuss the findings of an ongoing survey by the insurer on stress, burnout and how employers can cope. In this episode: The mental health crisis during Covid-19 (0m 34s) The Cigna survey on mental health (1m 48s) Lockdown madness (5m 26s) Burnout and over-working (7m 06s) Can Telehealth bridge the gap? (9m 59s) How can SMEs keep up (12m 05s) Cigna’s balancing act (16m 12s) Headlines (19m 08s) Read more on our website: • Anxiety and depression on rise even in countries with low Covid-19 rates (https://www.thenational.ae/world/anxiety-and-depression-on-rise-even-in-countries-with-low-covid-19-rates-1.1088918) • IFC to grow Middle East and Africa investments amid pandemic, lower oil prices (https://www.thenational.ae/business/economy/ifc-to-grow-middle-east-and-africa-investments-amid-pandemic-lower-oil-prices-1.1088900) • Israel’s OurCrowd and UAE’s Al Naboodah create $100m fund for Gulf tech investors (https://www.thenational.ae/business/technology/israel-s-ourcrowd-and-uae-s-al-naboodah-create-100m-fund-for-gulf-tech-investors-1.1089017) • Abu Dhabi to create food and beverage behemoth in a share swap deal (https://www.thenational.ae/business/abu-dhabi-to-create-food-and-beverage-behemoth-in-a-share-swap-deal-1.1089264)