September 25 is World Pharmacist Day, a global celebration honoring the vital role pharmacists play in promoting health and well-being.
“On this special day, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to more than 3,000 pharmacists and over 9,000 health professionals who work with AS Watson around the world, making our retail network a preferred destination for trusted health advice, health services and products,” said Dr. Malina Ngai, Group CEO of AS Watson. "Our pharmacists play a vital role in the shopping experience, offering the human interaction that instill confidence and reassurance in customers seeking health solutions.”
Based on the company’s global insights, customers who shop health and wellness products spend three times more than non-health shoppers. Notably, there’s a remarkable year-on-year growth of over 20 percent in the young customer segment seeking health products. While the vitamins and dietary supplements (VDS) sector alone has experienced over 10 percent sales growth, the increasing demand for medicated skincare solutions delivered over 20 percent growth.
Malina explained how the company addresses the increasing customer needs in health, “We are witnessing sustainable growth in our health and wellness retail sales over multiple years. In response to this global demand, we expanded our health product range by nearly 20 percent. Besides, we have introduced new digital enabled services in many markets.”
Tech-empowered AS Watson International Pharmacist Network
She then dropped an important announcement. “To mark the significance of our pharmacists and our commitment to empowering them to serve our customers to lead healthier lives, we are launching a global network app exclusively for the AS Watson International Pharmacists Network,” she shared. “The app serves as an exchange platform for our health professionals from around the world to acquire new knowledge, exchange best practices and to support each other across our markets.”
Watsons Philippines, a part of AS Watson, is committed to delivering convenient and reliable health services to customers. Watsons pharmacists are well-equipped to provide medication advice and ensure that both prescription and non-prescription medicines are available from a wide range of branded and generic options. Additionally, Watsons has trained vaccine-administering pharmacists offering vaccines for flu, pneumonia, HPV, Hepatitis B, and shingles, helping to keep the community safe from common preventable diseases. Consultation services, including free blood pressure monitoring, are always available to assist customers.
World Pharmacists Day is all about recognising beloved pharmacists and the vital role they play in strengthening communities. With the new global network app and expanded health services, Watsons aims to empower pharmacists even further in an effort to shape a healthier future for Filipinos and the rest of the region.