Pharmaniaga invests in CSR initiatives related to healthcare

WHENEVER there is a debate about balancing business and ethics, you can be sure that the pharmaceutical industry will be dragged into it. For some people, the idea of making money from producing medicines is hard to swallow, especially when there are cases of the poor who are denied life-saving but expensive drugs.

Faced with this kind of scepticism, it may be daunting for a pharmaceutical company to come up with credible social responsibility (CSR) initiatives.

A number of elements must be in place to ensure the success of a social contributions programme, but all these rest on the foundation, which ought to be a well-defined and comprehensive policy. This will determine the shape and impact of the programme.

Given the nature of Pharmaniaga's core businesses and its focus on knowledge, it is no surprise that it has chosen a consumer awareness campaign as its flagship social contributions programme dubbed mesti ambil tahu! (MAT), which loosely translates into "Must find out!".

Officially launched by Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek in April last year, MAT aims to persuade Malaysians to be more proactive in understanding health issues and the basics of healthcare.

Not surprisingly, the campaign kicks off by training the spotlight on medicines. The idea is to educate the general public about medicines and the correct way to take and handle them.

Azhar explains, "The level of awareness among Malaysians of the use and storage of medicines is still fairly low compared with that in the West. Yet, medicines are commonplace. You have them in every home. Often, when medicines are not properly used, there's wastage or their efficacy is affected."

A generous dose of knowledge

Through MAT, consumers will be encouraged to find out as much as they can about prescription drugs and medicine management.

Among the areas highlighted are the reasons for the need to follow medication procedures and storage instructions, to know the names of medicines (both generic and brand names) and possible side effects, and to communicate with the doctor or pharmacist.

Pharmaniaga relies on several channels to get the message across. One move was to publish a 12-page MAT booklet in Bahasa Melayu, English and Chinese.

It covers a range of topics such as the basic information that a doctor or pharmacist should obtain from a consumer before prescribing or dispensing drugs; children and medicine; and side effects of drugs. In addition, the booklet supplies answers to several questions, including:

How should my medicine be taken?

What if I miss a dose?

Why do some drugs need to be taken after meals and some before?

Why some pills are chewed, some swallowed and some placed under the tongue?

Initially, the booklet was distributed to the public at health clinics. This year, Pharmaniaga has widened its reach through roadshows organised in conjunction with health-related events such as the Government's Jom Makan Secara Sihat campaign and the Fight Against Diabetes programme.

The booklet can also be downloaded through a website (www.mestiambiltahu.com), another key component of the MAT initiative. The website has received close to 100,000 hits since last year and there have been nearly 300 requests to download the booklet.

Visitors to the website can also pose questions regarding medicines and these will be answered by pharmacists.

The most high-profile MAT activities last year were the result of Pharmaniaga's tie-ups with media partners such as TV3 and starRFM, which enabled the company to have a presence in newspapers, radio and television via interviews, articles and advertorials.

The company continues to appear on the airwaves this year with twice-daily slots on Sinar FM on week days, when it provides health tips.

The MAT campaign also extends to education on generic drugs and bio-equivalence. As explained in the MAT booklet, a generic drug is a copy of a brand-name drug in terms of dosage, safety and strength. A generic drug is bio-equivalent to a brand-name drug if it performs in the same manner as the latter.

Says Azhar, "We're trying to create a mindset change. Consumers should be taught that they do have cheaper alternatives (to brand-name drugs), namely generic medicines. There's so much misconception among the public about medicines. Generics are not fakes."

Early impact

Using the website hits and attendance of the roadshows as yardsticks, Pharmaniaga is reasonably satisfied with the response to the MAT project so far. Azhar says the company's participation in the roadshows have enabled it to touch base with many consumers, enabling it to compile a data base of more than 25,000 people.

He adds that the company gets many requests from hospitals, universities and colleges for the MAT booklets.

He says, "The programme is especially effective in the rural areas, where there may not be easy access to doctors. We're now thinking of setting up mobile clinics. Mesti Ambil Tahu!is at its initial stage. The objective is to first get people to know what Mesti Ambil Tahu! is all about. Once that's done, half the battle is won."

Pharmaniaga spent RM200,000 to launch the MAT campaign last year. It has spent another RM250,000 this year. Still, says Azhar, there is a lot more the company can do to widen the scope of the programme.

The question is, how can Pharmaniaga shareholders be convinced that the company's spending on CSR initiatives such as the MAT campaign will yield significant benefits?

Azhar points out that the programme will enhance not only awareness of the proper use of medicines but also the visibility of Pharmaniaga.

"We hope to be seen as caring towards the consumers. It's important to do business with a conscience. If we can achieve that, we'll be viewed favourably," he argues.

The company's social contributions, he adds, are one way to address the perception that pharmaceutical companies merely out to capitalise on the poor health of people.

"We don't just push medicine. We're saying medicines should be taken in the prescribed manner, and we also provide health tips," he says.

"It's the moral obligation of a pharmaceutical company to see that the public is healthy. It is in our interest to promote good health and the proper use of medicines. Don't look at us as profiteering from illness. We provide accessibility to affordable medicines."

Pharmaniaga's other CSR activities also revolve around healthcare such as its support of Mercy Malaysia in carrying out disaster relief missions and National Diabetes Institute in the Fight Against Diabetes programme. Last year, the company donated surgical masks to traffic cops, postmen, firemen and students.

By ERROL OH

The Star 16th Nov 2006

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