Fuelled by Lifebuoy’s mission to democratise healthcare, the brand is leading the charge for hygiene advocacy by providing free digital healthcare to the lives of millions.
Every year, millions of lives across Asia are put at risk as the imminent arrival of the monsoon season marks the onset of tropical diseases. Ahead of the monsoon season this year, Lifebuoy, the world’s number one hygiene soap brand, is continuing its mission to make quality, affordable, and accessible healthcare across Asia.
As the world’s fourth most consumed brand, Lifebuoy is using its product packaging and commercials to connect millions to telehealth services across South and Southeast Asia. Following its success of reaching almost 300 million people in 2020 as part of the brand’s COVID-19 response, Lifebuoy is further democratising healthcare to provide digital medical assistance, especially in areas where physical healthcare centres are scarce and the situation of seeing a doctor is still critical.
Extreme weather events driven by climate change have caused the South and Southeast Asia region to brace for one of the worst monsoon seasons in recent history, as damages to the sanitation and hygiene infrastructure lead to a surge in breeding grounds for diseases. The common medical monsoon ailments can include viral fever, a common cold, Malaria, Dengue, Typhoid, Hepatitis A and Diarrhoea. Furthermore, communities’ health is being endangered for months to come, as countries such as India and Indonesia only have nine and five doctors for every 10,000 patients, respectively.
By bridging the gap by providing access to telehealth services, Lifebuoy is geared to make a difference by closing this critical healthcare gap, especially during the treacherous monsoon season.
“Lifebuoy’s core mission has always been about working with communities to elevate hygiene and health levels. To realise this vision, we consistently innovate in partnership healthcare organisations to help essential healthcare services reach the millions who come into contact with Lifebuoy every day. As the monsoon picks up, gaining access to telehealth services can be a pivotal moment for many, especially those living at remote communities where healthcare is not easily accessible,” Khim Yin Poh, Global Lead for Lifebuoy, said.
In order to help affected individuals living in rural communities to access proper healthcare, Lifebuoy has collaborated with established local telehealth partners such as Practo in India and HaloDoc in Indonesia, effectively allowing and providing free healthcare access to millions. Since 2020, Lifebuoy’s telehealth service has reached the following regions:
- A campaign to promote Lifebuoy’s “Doctor Anywhere” telehealth partnership in Vietnam reached 10 million people
- In Indonesia, 3 million Lifebuoy packs with telehealth partner’s details have been distributed nationwide to build awareness
- Lifebuoy reached more than 25 million people in India, resulting in their telehealth partner registering almost 25,000 calls in one month
Currently, the service is in five countries across Asia – India, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Vietnam. Affected individuals would be able to access free telehealth service by calling the number or scanning the QR code from any of Lifebuoy’s packaging and commercials. [APBN]
Source: Lifebuoy