A strong partner in the healthcare industry
Dear Shareholders,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
We can look back on a successful 2021 financial year. With an increase in sales of 10.2% and increased profit of 26.7%, we exceeded our forecast for 2021. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic once again had a major impact on our business. With our logistics services and the offerings in pharmacies to combat COVID-19, we were able to make a key contribution to creating reliable procurement and supply chains as well as to patient safety and health.
You can find an operative review of the past financial year in our Management report.
Over the past year, a number of changes have also taken place in the political environment, which has an impact on our business, such as the delay in the preparation of the SBR V tariff model and the revision of the distribution share, or the discussion about direct imports from other European countries.
«Our patients and customers are at the heart of what we do. And this is at the core of our customer promise.»
The focus is on the customer
Our transformation journey on the path to becoming a fully integrated healthcare provider has gained significant momentum. Our patients and customers are at the heart of what we do. And this is at the core of our customer promise: «We support people at every stage of life on their journey towards health and well-being.»
With the aim of providing people with the best possible support, we have further sharpened our strategy and business model:
- We manage the strongest pharmacy network in Switzerland and are systematically expanding our offering both in-store and online.
- We offer specialist retailers and our pharmacies an attractive product range and comprehensive services.
- We are a leader in healthcare logistics and digital solutions for the Swiss healthcare market.
This and much more makes us a strong partner for all stakeholders in the healthcare market. Our strategy, the Galenica story, is based on this and to implement it, we have focused our strategic programmes on offering customers and patients the best customer experience across all channels.
«Our aim is to offer customers and the entire healthcare market the greatest possible added value.»
Digitalisation as an opportunity
It is not only COVID-19 that has shown that digitalisation in healthcare is lagging well behind. Compared with other sectors, we have a lot of catching up to do and can also see significant development opportunities. Our product and service offers give us the opportunity to play a leading role in shaping this development. This includes systematically offering, networking and further expanding our products and services via digital channels as part of our strategic «Omni-Channel» programme. After all, the shopping and consumer behaviour of the population is changing rapidly – and not just since COVID-19. And these changing habits are here to stay.
Another aspect of digitalisation is networking between the various players in the Swiss healthcare system. This networking is not only a success factor for us, but above all for our customers and patients. With our strategic «Care» and «Professionals» programmes, we offer our customers – and the healthcare market as a whole – the greatest possible added value through new cooperation models and strong partnerships.
This also helps us to counter the persistently high cost pressure in the healthcare sector. Thanks to digital e-health offers, partnerships and services adapted to market needs, we can reduce process costs and relieve the system.
«Patients want and should receive outpatient treatment at home whenever possible. With our range of services, we support everyone involved.»
Increasing demand for home care services
The ageing population and associated cost pressure are increasing the need and demand for more outpatient services and treatment options. In order to be able to offer solutions in this area too, we are expanding our range of services in a targeted manner within the framework of the strategic «Care» and «Professionals» programmes: both for customers and patients, such as the elderly and chronically ill, as well as for care organisations such as care homes and home-care organisations. Patients want and should receive outpatient treatment at home whenever possible. With our range of services, we want to support everyone involved: through our bricks-and-mortar pharmacies, in the home care sector and with logistics and IT solutions.
«In 2021, we further strengthened our commitment to sustainability.»
Sustainable contributions to patient safety
With our vision of «Health and well-being are at the heart of what we do. They are the reason we give our best every day», we have already anchored one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations (UN) in our strategy. In 2021, we further strengthened our commitment to sustainability. Based on a survey of external and internal stakeholder groups, we have updated and refined our relevance matrix. Specific sustainability targets have been defined for the thematic areas classified as material, such as patient safety. For example, we want to increase the use of the «e-Mediplan» electronic medication plan and continue to focus on the development and introduction of e-prescriptions. Other goals include reducing municipal waste and greenhouse gas emissions and reducing the absence rate for occupational and non-occupational accidents.
Thanks to our employees, customers, partners and shareholders
We would like to thank our employees for their hard work over the past year. We would also like to thank our customers for their loyalty, our business partners for their excellent cooperation and our shareholders for their trust.
Bern, 8 March 2022
Daniela Bosshardt
Chairwoman of the Board of Directors
Marc Werner
CEO