Healthy and happy: Carmelita de Leon
Healthy is the new sexy. So says Healthway Medical as it forges ahead with building its network of one-stop, mall-based clinics in metropolitan Manila.
Can healthcare be fun and hip? Carmelita de Leon, Vice–President for Sales and Marketing at Healthway Medical, thinks so. When she joined the company as its sales and marketing manager in 2004, she set about encouraging customers to put a priority on preventative healthcare. At the same time, she’s made it her mission to unearth customers’ pain points and introduce innovative services to address them. Hate–Wait, a program to deal with wasted time in waiting rooms, and HealthCheQ, an extensive medical check-up bundled with hotel accommodation for two, are just a couple of the creative ways it’s giving healthcare an overhaul.
The CEO Magazine: Can you tell us a little about your professional background, and how you came to join Healthway Medical?
Carmelita: I started my career in a pharmaceutical company quite late after becoming a mother at 21. Before that, I jumped from one job to another. I veered away from office jobs and even got bored doing glamorous work in a five-star hotel. My work as a medical representative gave me big breaks, professional maturity, and it defined my work ethic. It was hard work, but it empowered me to unleash my inner creativity. Through smart work and perseverance, I reached the second-highest level as the regional sales manager when I retired after 10 years.
I tried venturing into business, but after two years I missed the sales quotas and the boardroom, so I accepted an offer to join Healthway as a sales manager in 2004. My challenge was to turn sales around. I was able to inject fun and creativity into healthcare marketing and it paid off.
What have been some highlights of your time with Healthway?
Marketing from within. I was able to instil in our people that we’re aiming for service leadership. Everyone’s an ambassador for good health, and healthy is the new sexy. We market Healthway as fun and hip. As preventive care has always been central to Healthway, we’re situated in posh shopping malls so we can reach out to more people and promote preventive care and an active lifestyle.
I do a lot of field work, and as I enlarge my circles and social connections, I personally discover the gaps, disappointments and irritations customers have in relation to health and wellness. I then take advantage of Healthway’s dynamic management to introduce changes and innovations.
The idea for HealthCheQ — the only extensive medical check-up done in a few hours, bundled with free hotel accommodation for two — came out of staying close to our customers.
What changes have you seen within the industry?
Customers are more sophisticated and empowered; they ask around, Google doctors, compare rates, and ask a lot of questions. It’s a positive sign the industry is growing, and people tend to gravitate towards brands that are serious and reputable. People are also becoming more health conscious. The SEED (sleep, eat right, exercise, de-stress) lifestyle talk is becoming more popular because people want to hear about how to be ‘the CEO of their own health’.
We’ve also seen that customers and patients prefer one-stop shopping. This is why we have CCS, or corporate clinic management. On-site clinics with doctors and nurses can address employees’ immediate health needs while keeping them safe and productive. Customers need more patient education, and they’re constantly looking for something new. This led to Healthway launching Health Wallet, the first reloadable, consumable, shareable health card. It allows flexibility of health plans and pushed families to save on their health costs.
"When I receive business proposals for partnerships and campaigns, it’s always like day one of the job." – Carmelita de Leon
What is the Hate–Wait program and how does it benefit customers?
Being the leader in the outpatient category, we enjoy the highest traffic count, which makes waiting time a major concern. So we introduced the Hate–Wait program. We allow patients to go shopping or run errands while waiting for their doctor and then text them when it’s near their turn.
What do you have planned for future growth and expansion?
Healthway is bullish and will soon open more clinics in malls and communities. Our first specialty clinic in the Shangri-La Plaza Mall will offer doctors and experts in traditional Chinese medicine, and spine, sports and rehabilitation medicine. Healthway is also venturing into hospitals with its first hospital project in Quezon City. This was born of patient demand for better facilities and continuity of care.
How important are your key suppliers and partners, and how do you ensure mutually beneficial relationships?
Integrity and fairness play a big role when it comes to getting business partners and entering into any business deal. We have standard accreditation procedures, and we see to it that our protocols are in accordance with international and Filipino standards. We also communicate and articulate our business plans and insights in an honest and straightforward way. We believe in strong collaboration, and we know that the way to grow is with reliable and credible partners.
What’s your personal philosophy? What do you think makes a successful and driven leader?
We’re all uniquely gifted, and it’s up to us how we unleash the goodness and greatness within. Wherever you are in life and whatever you’re up to, be thankful. We should always rejoice and be glad that we’re given a day to get better than yesterday.
What do you love most about your job?
Advocating. Not everyone has the opportunity to promote good health and assist in nation-building. I’m also blessed to have a young and dedicated management team who believe work is not work but fun. I also really enjoy doing roadshows to promote the SEED lifestyle to corporates. The Healthway brand has become the partner of choice for most consumer brands, and it’s always an exciting day for brand promotion. When I receive business proposals for partnerships and campaigns, it’s always like day one of the job. Also when we’re recognised, locally and internationally. It’s our trigger to do more, to break some rules, and to surpass our previous awards. The Reader’s Digest Trusted Brand award, the ultimate indication of consumer approval, is one of my favourites.