Health care providers are on the front lines in a pandemic and the role of pharmacists is crucial to fill in the gap between healthcare providers and patients. To understand the role that they play, Samhita Social Ventures and Cipla, a leading pharma major teamed up and conducted a study amongst 1,100 pharmacists titled Future of Pharmacies with insights by Nachiket Mor, PhD visiting scientist - The Banyan Academy for Leadership in Mental Health

The study indicates that pharmacists are invested in the health of their communities. Over 61 % of pharmacists stated that they aim to improve their knowledge and medical skills while 76 % collaborated with healthcare players to improve the outcome for their patients.

The study also shows that being a pharmacist is a full-time profession for 93% of respondents and 91% did not want to switch their line of business.

 “Pharmacists are deeply connected to the communities they serve and are often trusted by their customers for medical advice, which uniquely positions them as champions and drivers of better community health. As demonstrated in the knowledge collaboration with Cipla, there is a substantial opportunity for private and public sectors to effect positive outcomes in healthcare by strengthening and supporting pharmacies in their quest to learn more, grow their business and gain the confidence and trust of their communities,” said Priya Naik, Founder & CEO, Samhita Social Ventures. 

Based on insights from the report, Samhita has now partnered with DigiHealth to undertake a pilot project with 220 pharmacies in Mumbai and Pune regions.

As part of this pilot, a BP monitor and weighing scale would be provided to pharmacists to carry out screening of walk-in customers and spread awareness on hypertension, including symptoms, treatment and required lifestyle changes. Customers would be provided access to teleconsultation at the pharmacy (or through the Digihealth app to be accessed via the customer’s smartphone) with doctors and finally Digihealth, through its mobile app and pharmacy network, would nudge communities and individuals to avail testing and follow-up on their conditions.

As per the study, the most common health challenge was non-communicable diseases (NCDs), mainly diabetes and hypertension, thus the pilot focuses on helping pharmacists identify and facilitate treatment for hypertension. The pilot is also geared to build the capacity of pharmacies in growing their businesses and improving customer relationships.