A healthcare world that is alive and well
Professional help is becoming easier to access – starting with your local pharmacy
Over the years, pharmaceutical outlets have been reinventing themselves to offer broader consumer product offerings, including beauty products, white goods (large appliances) and personal healthcare products. Now they have become entrenched as partnership extensions of medical aids, offering holistic healthcare services to the public — whether they are covered by a medical aid or not.
“Clicks will continue to add products, services and offerings that add value and convenience to the lives of our customers, expanding our clinical service offerings and focusing on technological solutions that help to meet customers wherever they are,” says Rachel Wrigglesworth, &OLFNV &KLHI +HDOWKFDUH 2I²FHU
“This has been a great strategy for the pharmaceutical outlets: to increase and improve their value chain,” adds Keyhealth Medical Scheme’s CEO, Patrick Masobe. Pharmacies now also provide health screening services, employee and mother and baby wellness clinics and clinic nurse services as well as virtual doctor consultations, to mention a few.”
Asked how he sees pharmacies adapting to the tabled NHI, Masobe says: “Pharmacies and pharmacy clinics are often WKH ²UVW SRUW RI FDOO IRU SHRSOH QHHGLQJ medical assistance. The NHI white paper indicates that the government intends to utilise all available professional public and private resources to achieve a universal healthcare system in South Africa. I see pharmacies being heavily involved in the transformation of the way the government intends to provide services.”
Festive season disruption
The festive season can be perceived as a serious health disruptor: patterns indicate that even those with chronic conditions overindulge in a way that can be very harmful to their health.
“We drive medicine adherence over the festive season with our convenient centralised database, a range of medication management services and our festive wellness guide, which speaks to enjoying the festive season with your health top of mind,” says Wrigglesworth. “All Clicks SKDUPDFLHV DUH VXI²FLHQWO\ VWRFNHG QR matter the time of the year, and with our centralised database customers can collect their medication at any one of over 700 Clicks pharmacies across South Africa. However, we do advise customers to stock up on medication should they plan to travel somewhere remote and are concerned that they may not have enough medication to last them.”
Masobe says Keyhealth assists its pharmacist network in advising its patronage to manage chronic conditions such as high blood pressure and diabeWHV +H VD\V LWV FRQGLWLRQ VSHFL²F FDUH and treatment plans can be shared with the pharmacist and any related health professional who is part of the multidisciplinary team that assists with managing members’ registered chronic conditions.
“Pharmacists play a key role in patient education, and we encourage them to offer clinical advice, promote health and to manage a healthy lifestyle. Over the festive season our pharmacy partners and their nurses will be keeping the same operating hours and walk-in care service levels. There will also be nurses available for virtual online consultations, available during a pharmacy’s usual operating hours, seven days a week.
“Nurses can also link members to a video consultation with a doctor on call should a member require further consultation, a repeat of prescription, a sick note, or if necessary, [we can] refer them to a specialist,” says Wrigglesworth.
Healthcare in the digital world
Technology has become pivotal in the healthcare industry and medical aids, pharmacies and medical service providers are all constantly working on improving technology systems to provide a better experience for stakeholders. Technology is being enhanced to create electronic health records and make digital platforms able to provide a seamless user experience. Online portals, mobile applications, and other digital channels are striving to make it easier for stakeholders to access and manage all their relevant information.
Wrigglesworth says the company’s digital offerings include the Clicks app, which allows customers to order medication, choose collection or delivery, and access other services like viewing their digital Clubcard.
“We also have a convenient online clinic booking service and an affordable virtual doctor service, which includes D YLGHR FRQVXOWDWLRQ ZLWK D TXDOL²HG healthcare practitioner. We are about offering customers convenience, value and choice, and offer customers both digital and face-to-face interaction.
“The use of technology brings convenience for customers in a mobile age, and services are created to remove points of friction in the pharmacy journey. Examples of this include the Pharmacy Chat service and Clicks’ Repeat Prescription Service, which offers customers convenient SMS reminders and a choice between in-store collection, smart locker collection or on-demand delivery.”
According to Masobe, the kinds of technology differentiators they are seeing emerging in the pharmacy arena in
LPPHUSIVE FOXGH DUWL²FLDO LQWHOOLJHQFH $, technologies such as augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), and various automation technologies.
“Pharmacies that embrace these technologies may be able to enhance patient
Lqcrease HQJDJHPHQW LPSURYH ZRUN³RZV patient safety and simplify communication. The market for new technologies is booming in the pharmacy industry,” says Masobe.
“Clicks works closely with medical aids to ensure service offerings meet the needs of the medical scheme and that dispensing of medicines is in line with what is covered by each scheme,” says Wrigglesworth. “This helps member benH²WV ODVW ORQJHU :H DOVR FORVHO\ VXSSRUW doctors and hospitals by ensuring patients can be serviced quickly and professionally, and may contact the patient’s healthcare provider if there is a query regarding treatment or a prescription.
“Clicks is a preferred service provider to most medical schemes and a designated service provider to other medical schemes,” she concludes.
Mental health in the ‘festive’ season
It might be the season to be jolly, but the reality is that the festive season can have a very negative impact on your mental health and cause or augment depression — particularly if you are alone, have family overseas or are estranged from family or friends for whatever reason. LoneliQHVV FDQ EH D VLJQL²FDQW VXLFLGH WULJJHU