Galenika – an example of a responsible business that pushes limits
Another point of view about corporate social responsibility comes from Jelena Parojčić, Executive Director for Human Resources in Galenika.
How high is the CSR concept on Galenika’s agenda?
For Galenika, CSR is an integral part of doing business. It is reflected in all areas – through an uncompromising commitment to the quality of our products, continuity of production and supply, health and safety of employees, environmental protection and energy efficiency, health-prevention-focused projects, and support of cultural projects as well as donations to the medical institutions. Our employees, partners, doctors, pharmacists, and consumers trust Galenika as they recognize that social responsibility is woven into all aspects of our work.
What do you consider key drivers of Galenika’s CSR approach?
We strive to push limits in all areas of responsible doing business. To illustrate, as a future-oriented company, Galenika established quality systems through the implementation of GMP and ISO standards, which it continuously renews by implementing new requirements of internationally recognized standards. For us, the implementation of standards is a prerequisite for responsible business.
In the digital age, patients are much less dependent on doctors for advice and are increasingly becoming capable and willing to take more control over their own health. This indicates the importance of shifting the focus of pharmaceutical companies from reaction to prevention. In that regard, Galenika has launched a web platform and application related to health prevention.
What CSR campaigns have you implemented and what was their impact?
For two consecutive years, in October, which is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we launched and implemented #Rozeoktobar campaign to raise awareness of the importance of regular examinations as one of the most important tools for the prevention of breast cancer. Campaigns were dedicated to raising awareness on the subject, while allocating funds from the sale of Galenika’s Pantenol for donation to the Institute of Oncology and Radiology of Serbia (IORS). Beyond the amount that is donated to the IORS, I’m proud to say that through this campaign, Galenika was recognised as one of the Top 5 companies that supported the fight against breast cancer.
Furthermore, in February this year, on the occasion of International Mother Language Day, Galenika, in partnership with the University of Belgrade’s Faculty of Philology, launched a social responsibility campaign titled “Moja koza / koža“, which aimed to promote grammatically correct writing and adhering to the orthographic norms of the Serbian language. During the campaign, we addressed young people in order to draw their attention to the importance of language and its proper use when using mobile phones and digital messaging applications. In addition, we also introduced another part of the campaign ,,Moja koža” – the promotion of Galenika‘s skincare product – through which we discovered the enigma behind the campaign title ,,Moja koza / koža”. I believe that we have fulfilled our goal – we have highlighted a topic and inspired young people to pay more attention to spelling and the use of diacritical marks.
In the digital age, patients are much less dependent on doctors for advice, and are becoming increasingly capable and willing to take more control over their own health
Finally, Galenika is recognized as the leader in developing web platforms and applications related to health-prevention topic. What is your motivation for this and what platforms did you launch?
Thanks to its innovative business philosophy, Galenika recognises that health-prevention has an increasing impact on the general health of the nation. In that regard, in 2020, we launched the online platform ,,Hello twenties’’ (www.dvadesete.rs), a long-term social responsibility project at the national level, intended to educate young people in Serbia about healthy living habits so they can improve and maintain their mental and physical health.
Plus, Galenika has also launched the free-of-charge mobile application Galix (www.galix.rs), which aims to support the healthy habits of its users. Galix is the first Serbian language application in our country that, in one place, provides users with instant insight into the environmental and health conditions throughout Serbia, which affect a healthy lifestyle.
The commitment that Galenika’s team has demonstrated in all these campaigns is a clear illustration that the Galenika brand means are synonymous with trust and quality, and above all, highlight the company’s focus on a healthier and better future.