'Only 14% healthcare companies digitally active'

Only 14 per cent of the pharmaceutical and healthcare companies operating in India -- both domestic and multinational -- are active on various digital platforms to solve customers' queries, the India Digital Health Report 2017 revealed on Wednesday.

The report is the second edition and analysed 160 India-based companies across four verticals -- pharmaceuticals, medical devices equipment, diagnostics and hospitals.

"The companies were studied on 12 key digital and social parameters - websites, apps, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Google+, Blogger, Pinterest, Flickr, Instagram and Tumblr," said the survey conducted by D Yellow Elephant, a Full-service Digital and Social media firm.

The findings reveal that only 14 per cent companies emerged as Digital Primes. As many as 54 per cent companies qualify as digital aspirants while the remaining 32 percent fall under the category of digital onlookers.

The outcome means that only 14 per cent of the companies surveyed are active on digital platforms and reply to queries and posts, while others even if have presence on digital platforms are not active.

Apollo Diagnostics takes the overall top spot with a score of 70, followed by GE Healthcare with 65.5 and Pfizer with 65 points. Amongst hospitals, Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital leads with 56 points.

"The report indicates that pharmaceutical and healthcare companies in India are affected by 'Engagement Draught' - present across most social media platforms but reluctant to engage with stakeholders. With HCPs (Health Care Professionals), patients, caregivers and policymakers consuming bulk of information online, it is imperative for companies to develop a digital ecosystem spread across multiple channels," Aman Gupta, Managing Director of D Yellow Elephant.

LinkedIn enjoys the maximum presence with 91 per cent players having a dedicated page, but only 11 per cent companies actively engaging on the platform. Facebook is the second most preferred platform with 90 per cent presence rate, followed by Twitter and YouTube.

--IANS

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