A partner for everyone’s health

Access to affordable healthcare is always a pressing need – but during a year dominated by a global health emergency, the need has gone from pressing to dire for many around the world.

Chile, where WBA’s Farmacias Ahumada is located, is no exception. It can be difficult for Chileans to access affordable health care, particularly for chronic conditions which often require complex, long-term medical support. As with many countries across Latin America, chronic diseases are on the rise and illnesses such as diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol can be expensive to treat.

Farmacias Ahumada has developed a new way to bring affordable health care, even for chronic conditions, further into the mainstream. Their Familia Ahumada program is a free service that allows patients and customers to register and receive discounts on medicines for the seven biggest chronic disease areas in Chile.

By joining Familia Ahumada, patients and customers can get discounts on medications including those for diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, mental health, skin care, contraceptives and the respiratory system. Familia Ahumada members will also receive personalized discounts based on their purchase history, making sure they save money on the medicines and products that are most important to them.

“In communities across Latin America, where chronic cases are on the rise, we are seeing huge numbers register for our programs,” says Sharon Dawson, head of marketing, international retail, for WBA. “Affordability when it comes to medicines is so vital, and Familia Ahumada’s discounts are just a small way we help make treatment easier for our patients with chronic diseases. We truly believe this will have an impact on the health and wellbeing of the local communities we serve.”

The loyalty program, which launched in 2015, continues to evolve to always make sure it is serving customers with the best and most personalized offers possible. This year it was extended to support chronic conditions and registered members have grown significantly, demonstrating the genuine need for the kind of discounted health care Familia Ahumada offers.

Juan Pablo Corvalán, head of customer experience and omni-channel for Ahumada in Chile, links these impressive figures to the strong relationship Farmacias Ahumada has built with its patients.

“At Farmacias Ahumada, our goals let us put the health and wellbeing of our patients first, and we have the exciting opportunity to improve thousands of lives with the Familia Ahumada program,” Corvalán says. “We are helping the communities we serve by making it easier for people to buy the medicines and products important to them. This personalization of our service strengthens trust of our brand and keeps patient wellbeing at the forefront of what we do.”

Patients can download the free Familia Ahumada app where they can easily search for products, use its prescription tracking features, get health tips and see their personalized offers quickly and easily.

“Familia Ahumada has already attracted millions of registrations, but there is more we can do to grow the program,” Dawson says. “I am excited by the opportunities we have going forward, and proud of the impact we are having on the communities we serve.”