In 1948, Mumtaz Ahmed Sheikh laid down the foundation for the Fazal Din and Sons Pharmacy in the historic Mall Road in Lahore. What happened next was the formulation of a mammoth healthcare conglomerate in the country consisting of retail pharmacies, pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities, and medical equipment distributors. However, in 2014, a new addition was added to the esteemed Fazal Din Group – a separate entity hoping to offer medicinal sales online for the first time in Pakistan i.e. online pharmacy sehat.com.pk

Sehat is currently being run by the fourth generation of the Fazal Din Family, but is a separate entity from the Fazal Din and Sons Pharmacy. The founders of the venture sought to solve many pain points currently being faced by the population at large in obtaining medicines, including:

• the wide unavailability of certain medication in sporadic periods
• the inconvenience of visiting a pharmacy depending on locality and time of day
• the lack of trust among the pharmaceutical distribution industry in Pakistan
• The lack of consultation available from qualified pharmacists from the majority of pharmacies in the country
• The inefficient packaging of temperature sensitive items (namely insulin) by brick and mortar establishments.

It was based on these points that the founders decided to create the legal entity behind the venture, Apothecare Private Limited, in 2011. There was three years of extensive research and development then ensued. An ex-LUMS Professor was involved in creating projections and a sound business model with which the product could be brought to life. One very notable achievement from this 3 year phase was the development of efficient cold chain delivery. Temperature sensitive items delivered can now be maintained between 2 to 8 degrees Celsius within 48 hours of delivery to any location in Pakistan. After this crunch period, the website was finally launched in April 2014.

Sehat online pharmacy’s unique selling proposition include:

• Nationwide delivery within 48 hours
• Efficient Packaging Materials that maintain temperature of items for up to 48 hours
• Qualified pharmacists on board for consultation
• State-of-the-art Warehouse Facility for storing medicines
• Stocked medicines direct from the manufacturer
• Discounted Medicines
• A call-centre (0800 73428) to help customers place an order
• The ability to place an order not available in Pakistan through the Special Order form

Alongside these, Sehat online pharmacy has notable salient features on the website that separate itself from other e-commerce sites, which include Order Scheduling – placing multiple orders with different delivery dates – and Store Credit – paying for an order beforehand through online banking, credit card, or EasyPaisa, and placing instantly processed orders with the store credit amount. In terms of prescription medication, no orders can be processed without a valid prescription being sent to Sehat, either electronically or physically – in accordance with DRAP and Ministry of Health Regulations.

Delivering medicines to customers all over Pakistan has been Sehat’s core competency, but it has expanded to other product lines as well. From starting with just OTC and Prescription products, Sehat has delved in to consumer (household) and beauty products. The latest brands to come on board in each of the two categories has been Peridot Products (Kiwi, Gleen) and L’Oreal.

Alongside delivering medicines solely through the website and the call-centre (0800-SEHAT), Sehat online phamarcy has made one very notable horizontal expansion and one very notable. Horizontally, Sehat has managed to secure the services of some of the top corporations in the country, and supply their employees with medicines. These include Fatima Group, Treet Corporation, LUMS, and ICI Polyester. Vertically, Sehat online pharmacy has been able to offer home vaccinations in three cities of Pakistan (Lahore, Karachi, and Islamabad) for a multitude of diseases, including typhoid, influenza, pneumonia, and Hepatitis A/B.

Sehat has already signed up thousands of customers on its portal and is looking to extend their corporate clientele portfolio. It has been lauded by tech blogs i.e. TechJuice, ProPakistani, and TechinAsia as a service with immense potential to go the distance in Pakistan’s e-commerce space. There is hope after all in a nascent e-commerce platform in Pakistan for a venture like Sehat to make a significant impact in the lives of others. Through an ever increasing tech savvy population, it will be no surprise if Sehat online pharmacy becomes a household in Pakistan within the next few years for ordering medicines.

You can learn more about Sehat online pharmacy by visiting their official site HERE. Click on social sharing buttons below tos hare the story with your friends.