Unilever’s Lifebuoy helps Asian consumers with telehealth services during monsoon
Soap brand Lifebuoy has launched an initiative across markets in South and South East Asia to help impacted communities ahead of one of the worst monsoons in recent history.
Lifebuoy’s telehealth collaboration for Asian markets
In five countries across Asia – India, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Vietnam – affected individuals will be able to access free telehealth services by calling the number or scanning the QR code from any of Lifebuoy’s packaging and commercials.
The region is home to extreme weather events. These put a heavy burden on the sanitation and hygiene infrastructure, which is often unable to meet the surge in disease. Common medical monsoon ailments include viral fever, the common cold, malaria, dengue, typhoid, hepatitis and diarrhea, which become worse due to the inadequate health infrastructure in many of these countries.
According to Khim Yin Poh, global brand team lead at Unilever-owned Lifebuoy: “This initiative is in keeping with Lifebuoy’s core mission around working with communities to elevate hygiene and health levels.
“As the monsoon picks up, gaining access to telehealth services can be a pivotal moment for many – especially those living in remote communities where healthcare is not easily accessible.”
To make it work on the ground and help affected individuals living in rural communities access proper healthcare, Lifebuoy has collaborated with established local telehealth partners such as Practo in India and HaloDoc in Indonesia to help provide free healthcare access.
Lifebuoy has had experience with its ongoing telehealth service initiatives in some markets since 2020. In Vietnam it launched the ‘Doctor Anywhere’ telehealth partnership, which has reached 10 million people, as per the company data. In Indonesia, 3m Lifebuoy packs with telehealth partners’ details have been distributed nationwide to build awareness. In India, meanwhile, Lifebuoy reached more than 25 million people, resulting in its telehealth partner registering almost 25,000 calls in one month.