Helping Healthcare Services Resume

As a key player in the healthcare system, we feel a strong responsibility towards patients. Our mission is simple: to improve the lives of patients across the globe. We believe that everyone should have access to quality medicines whether it be for managing disease, fighting infections, or simply improving overall health. In the current global context, we have and must continue to do all we can to maintain the production of high quality medicines for over 200 million patients every day.

But it came to our attention that certain patients – particularly those with chronic conditions – had stopped visiting their doctor. The consequences of this can be negative when patients put off care, sometimes resulting in a worsening of their condition.

It’s understandable that in light of the COVID-19 crisis, doctors, nurses, hospitals and the majority of other healthcare providers had to drop everything they’d been working on and rush to the front-line, where an influx of COVID-19 patients were waiting to be treated. On the other hand, people around the world were doing what was asked of them and staying home in order to save lives.

We are deeply grateful, both to the healthcare professionals who spent time trying to understand a new virus and its effects, and to those who held back from their regular care. But now, it’s time to encourage them to engage with their doctors again.

Being healthy is more than being COVID free

Living through a pandemic - something none of us have experienced before - it’s easy to forget the regular things we need to do to take care of our health such as eating healthily, getting regular exercise and enough sleep. And yet, these things should remain at the top of our priority list so we stay healthy and our immune systems are fully operational.

For patients with chronic conditions, it’s understandable they may have been afraid to visit their doctors or go to hospital for treatment, because they are at higher risk than others. But now it’s time to resume visits and crucial treatments that help their conditions.

That’s why we are launching “being healthy is more than being COVID free”, an initiative designed to encourage patients to visit their doctors once more. We encourage them to do so responsibly, and for there to be an open dialogue between both parties in order to find the best possible outcome.

We understand doctors are still very busy and the importance to minimize the spread of COVID-19 which is why we’re focusing on patients with chronic illnesses only. You can read our resources:

• How to resume contact with your doctor
• How to prepare for a visit to the doctor
• Articles by patients themselves

Follow our social media channels to learn more.