Takeda-Plan Healthcare Access Program
Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited
The program covers rural areas in 4 Asian countries, Indonesia, China, the Philippines and Thailand where Takeda has its market presence. Takeda had supported it from 2009 to 2014, donating 50 million JPY (= 417,000 USD) in total
INTRODUCTION
Takeda became a member of the UNGC in April 2009 to learn global CSR which should be incorporated in global business and it decided to launch a global corporate citizenship program as a responsible company in line with the UN MDGs. The Mission of this program is to improve healthcare access in Asian countries. The goals are- To make a significant outcome for the people/patients in healthcare access,
- To create a social impact to the local community and regions,
- To present a unique partnership model between Company and NGO,
- To acquire a license to operate from local markets and global society with good reputations, and
- To learn sustainable healthcare business model to integrate CSR into business management.
FRAMEWORK AND STRATEGY
Each local office of “Plan” implemented healthcare-focused project for 5 years (cf. Plan Indonesia: hygiene, Plan China: nutrition, Plan Philippines: clinic and Plan Thai: HIV/AIDs). Plan Japan, as a project organizer and a contact point to Takeda, was responsible for monitoring those local projects in the four countries. Every year, both Plan Japan and Takeda visited selected one country for stakeholder dialogues.This program was strategically conducted the countries where Takeda operated, which served its awareness and reputation building. It also contributed to positive motivation of local employees in the four countries. The “healthcare access” was chosen as a high materiality issue for the pharmaceutical industry. This program was recognized by the Executive Director of UNGC, Georg Kell, whose comment was found in the final impact report. Takeda evaluates this program by using “Input-Output-Outcome-Impact” analysis which might be the first ever challenge by a private company. Also, the evaluation data was assured by the third party, KPMG, to ensure its transparency and accountability for stakeholders. These unique points could be applied as a model for other companies to create further social impacts.
ACHIEVEMENT AND IMPACT
The following positive impacts were given to the target communities:Indonesia: Community-led total sanitation to create open defecation-free villages – The number of diarrhea patients at clinics decreased by about 90%. China: Improvement of child nutrition – Provision of sterilizers has enabled children to have meals in a hygienic environment. Students also learned how to use the sterilizers and practiced putting them away after use. The Philippines: Healthcare support for children – Certain doctors offered discounted fees for consultations and assistive medical equipment. Thailand: Prevention of the spread of HIV/AIDS among young people – Increased acceptance of the topic of sexuality to enable instruction to be provided on the risks of pregnancy, abortion, and sexual diseases including HIV/AIDS among young people, as well as correct knowledge of sexuality, as part of the curriculum.
FUTURE DIRECTION
In the program, Takeda found the following values on a spreading effect to stakeholders not only targeted people but also local governments, NGOs, other companies and so on.Indonesia: Of the 20 target villages, 2 adopted the five articles for achieving an open defecation-free village as village by-laws. China: The central government began supplying food materials for students, starting from the fourth quarter of the third year. The Philippines: Village councils approved financial support for part of the transportation expenses of children from villages to hospitals, as well as part of the transportation expenses for the children’s parents and relatives and for meals for children during transit. Thailand: Based on the results of this project, a local government has decided to try introducing the sexuality education in more schools.
Based on these experiences, Takeda recognized an importance of preventive actions and long-term support in healthcare field. Takeda has started to discuss for the creation of new strategic corporate citizenship programs related our core businesses (vaccine, oncology and life-style related diseases areas) in developing countries and emerging markets.
Takeda is the largest research-based pharmaceutical company in Japan and its global operation covers over 70 countries. It leads CSR joining the UNGC LEAD, BSR and IIRC. Based on its own integrated thinking, Takeda has adopted integrated reporting format since 2006 for investors and then it is recognized as an index company of FTSE4Good and DJSI by SRI community.
