MLC Life customers with a cancer diagnosis will now have access to an award-winning course guiding them through cancer treatment under a new partnership with CancerAid.

The CancerAid Coach Program is offered in conjunction with access to the CancerAid App, which organises medical records and streamlines information on appointments and treatments, giving patients and caregivers reliable information about their illness and treatment plan, as well as a symptom monitoring tool and access to a supportive community of patients and carers.

MLC Chief Claims Officer Andrew Beevors says many MLC customers need help to manage their appointments, treatments and specialists.

“A cancer diagnosis can create an enormous emotional toll. Using this app, we are providing customers with extra support when they need it most, regardless of whether they make a claim,” he said.

Since June, a quarter of MLC cancer patients were successfully referred to the program, with around three-quarters of that cohort expected to return to work as a result.

CancerAid has been used by more than 40,000 people in 53 countries after being founded by Oncology Specialist Raghav Murali-Ganesh.

“Life insurers see the impact of cancer daily and play a crucial role in supporting customers in their time of need. By providing a tool like the CancerAid coach program, they can give them invaluable help,” he said.

Nearly 150,000 Australians are diagnosed with cancer every year.