Healthguard Pharmacy the gatekeeper in pharmacy-patient relationship

Sunshine Holdings PLC’s Healthguard chain of pharmacies established over 10 years ago is now one of Sri Lanka’s top service brands in health sector. This chain of pharmacies operating in Colombo and its suburbs has a clear code of conduct for operations, which enables them to practice as an ethical pharmacy which carries a uniform level of service and standards across the chain.
Infiyaz Ali, Head of Operations, says that there is a dire need for a strong brand personality for pharmacies, which is as important as the need for branded pharmaceuticals; a brand comes or should come with a promise of a standard, which is delivered to those who trust in it.
“As for Healthguard, our brand promise is the assurance of quality and service, which goes beyond the point of proper storage of pharmaceuticals. We train our pharmacists, educate assistants on the products they sell and more importantly, keep a very close eye on who is supplying our pharmacies. Healthguard does not stock pharmaceuticals from non-reputed suppliers.”
In addition Ali says that Healthguard is not only responsible for the brands that their own pharmaceutical company, Sunshine Health Care Lanka, is supplying but also insists on the quality assurance of products they stock from various different suppliers, be it medicinal drugs, lifestyle products or medical equipment.
“We insist upon the supplier sending us the right goods that have gone through a proper quality check. We work closely with our partners so that we can work together in supplying quality products to Healthguard customers. The relationship we have with them is more than that of a buyer and supplier, as we are trying to engage them more as partners with a single aim of providing the best for local customers, especially patients, because with reputed partners like Hemas, Glaxo, Baursetc, our customers can trust in us that we supply the genuine items.”
Healthguard insists on Cosmetic Devices and Drugs Authority (CDDA) certification from all their suppliers. The supplier must produce authentic proof and should have a CDDA license to sell these products before they are registered as a pharmaceutical supplier at Healthguard Pharmacy. In addition, each product to be listed must be accompanied by a product registration certificate from CDDA.
“In a way we can be called the gatekeepers as any of our customers will know that if we stock a drug, it would not be a fake and this brand assured pharmaceuticals will be stored under the right conditions to assure efficacy on administering,” Infiyaz further said.
Healthguard Pharmacy is a subsidiary of the publicly listed Sunshine Holdings PLC, a diversified conglomerate with interests in healthcare, agri-business, FMCG and investments, with employee strength of 16,000 and revenue of Rs. 14 billion. The Group’s Healthcare businesses consist of Sunshine Healthcare Lanka Ltd. and Healthguard Pharmacy Ltd.