Business growth: Pharma cos urged to adopt digital channels

KARACHI: Stakeholders of the healthcare sector urged pharmaceutical companies to adopt digital channels for effective marketing strategy and business development during a panel discussion at ‘Pharmaceutical Marketing 21st’ hosted by the Health Asia International Exhibition and Conferences on Friday.

They termed digitalisation as mandatory in the practices of pharmaceutical marketing and distribution systems, saying pharmaceutical companies should build capacities of their market and sales department to unleash its maximum potential.

Health and digital expert Dr Zakiuddin Ahmed said Pakistan’s physician community needs a dedicated virtual platform similar to doctors of different countries to leverage the interaction with pharmaceutical companies for improving the healthcare standards in the country. Trust and empathy are essential traits in the practice of pharmaceutical marketing; hence, companies should engage physicians to build trust, he added.

He further said that pharmaceutical companies should set up a digital marketing department and focus on capacity building of their employees dealing with departments of marketing, sales and distribution.

Raheel Siddiqui, Director Marketing and Sales at Getz Pharma, said the digital channels are the extended arms of marketing, improving communications between all stakeholders on ethical standards. Digital marketing also provides sales analysis of different products and geographies, helping companies to understand the demand curve of a particular product.

Prof Dr Asima Faisal, Director at Dow University of Health Science (DUHS) said the social media is the best platform to create awareness of diseases among the masses as well as the communication channel to prescribe medicines and treatments.

She added that social media is an effective channel to create a demand for treatment and medicine which can be seen in the case of the growing trend of hair implant treatment among men that was not common in the past.

The second day of the Health Asia International Conference also hosted various conferences on the issues of health and its related challenges, which were participated by doctors, experts, and students.

Earlier, Provincial Minister for Health Dr Azra Pechuho inaugurated the conference.

She said Sindh government extended its full support to the private sector for promoting medical tourism across the country, aiming to benefit the local healthcare sector and its contribution to the national economy.

The provincial minister said that the government maintained a major share in the country’s healthcare sector, providing quality treatment not only to residents but also to overseas Pakistanis and expatriates in different public sector hospitals, mainly in Karachi.

She mentioned that the participation of foreign delegates and exhibitors in this event depicted positive development for the country’s healthcare industry, adding that the role of the private sector is crucial and laudable.

Health experts and hospital caretakers unanimously vowed to promote medical tourism across the country at the conference session of the “Future Hospital – Inward Medical Tourism.” They were of the view that Pakistani hospitals are doing treatments of Afghan and Iranian nationals which could easily be enhanced to SAARC countries through collaborative efforts of the government and the private.