Farmacias Fracción and Hub APTA: They launch an unprecedented call that seeks to measure the impact of their pharmacies in isolated communes of Chile

The Social Impact Measurement Challenge in Chile -which has the support of SQM- seeks to assess the social impact of the revolutionary chain of pharmacies with a digital concept and triple citizen impact. The call is addressed to universities, training and research centers and others, capable of developing a methodology or tool that delivers said social indicators in the pharmacies of San Pedro de Atacama, Vichuquén and Cochamó.

Andrea Riquelme, Journalist.- Fit Hub and Fraction Pharmacies they will launch unpublished Social Impact Measurement Challenge in Chile, initiative that seeks to quantify through knowledge and academic research, the social impact that Fracción is generating with the implementation of pharmacies in isolated communes and/or in economically vulnerable communities.

The call seeks representatives of academia and innovation from all over Chile, for the development of tools, methodology or platforms that allow measuring the benefit of these pharmacies in the communes of San Pedro de Atacama (Antofagasta Region), Vichuquen (Maule Region) and Cochamó (Lakes Region).

The challenge has the support of SQM, a company that in San Pedro de Atacama, together with Farmacias Fracción, implemented the first community pharmacy in the commune in partnership with the local municipality, and which seeks to improve the quality of life of families living in locations far from San Pedro de Atacama as: Santiago de Río Grande, Toconao, Talabre, Camar, Socaire and Peine, allowing them to access medicines at a lower price adhering to the Cenabast Law and to the bioequivalent or generic category that are currently not marketed in the commune.

Currently, Fracción also operates in other communes in Chile, including Vichuquén, Sierra Gorda, Empedrado, María Elena, and others; which it attends online and with remote office. To these are added 6 that are about to open in towns such as San Juan de la Costa (Los Lagos), Cochamó (Llanquihue) and Ollague (Antofagasta), among others. In this sense, Fracción experiences the need to have a methodology to measure its real social impact and thus make strategic decisions for the benefit of the community.

“Having these types of metrics is essential for more companies to bring about change at scale. It is not just about producing more, it is about revolutionizing the way of producing in order to improve the quality of life and social well-being. Not only companies are called to this type of action, but all industries”, he affirms. Javier Vega, founder and executive director of Fracción.

Meanwhile, from SQM, José Miguel Berguño, Senior Vice President of Corporate Services, highlighted the relevance of contributing to the challenge of measuring social impact “at SQM we actively join projects that seek to generate shared social value. We have a long experience working with the territories where we are present, and we believe that this type of initiative helps to articulate different actors, and generate alliances, which contribute to promoting the well-being and quality of life of people, in line with development. sustainability of our products.

For his part, Varinka Farren, Executive Director of Hub APTAadded: “From Hub Apta we have the challenge of encouraging and promoting the research and knowledge capacities that exist in Chilean universities and technology centers, connecting the academy with the productive sectors, and for the first time we will specify a methodology to really know the social impact generated by a certain industry such as the pharmaceutical sector”.

The organization or consultant that classifies as the winner of the challenge will receive 21 million pesos. The call will be extended until May 15, 2023.

Launch of the Challenge

The launch took place on Wednesday, April 12, and from then on a cycle of informative talks will be held for those interested in the details of the call.

The launch ceremony included a discussion panel with experts from the State, academia and the private sector, in which they analyzed the importance of measuring the social impact of this type of innovation initiative.

In the space participated: Giorgio Jackson, Minister of Social Development and Family of Chile; Verónica Pinilla, Manager of Public Affairs and Sustainability of Banco Estado; José Miguel Berguño, Senior VP Corporate Services SQM; Julie Kim Lee, Director of Links with the Environment and Internationalization of the Faculty of Administration and Economics UDP; Varinka Farren, Executive Director of Hub APTA and Javier Vega Executive Director of Fracción.

One of the main concerns of the population is to have available and in a timely manner the possibility of health, and quick and safe access to medicines, since this directly impacts their quality of life. However, this is often prevented by geographical distribution, excluding some service areas such as pharmacies, these areas are generally rural, isolated and lacking economic resources.

In this context is born Fraction Pharmaciesa social pharmacy, whose objective is to improve access to medicines through fair prices, presence in isolated areas, dispensing of medicines adhered to the Cenabast law and the division of medicines, generating a triple impact: social, economic and environmental.

Learn more about the call in the following link: https://hubapta.com/desafios-de-medicion-de-impacto-social/

About HUB APTA

Fit Hub is a corporation that brings together more than 22 universities and research centers. Its purpose is to transfer high-impact #MadeINNChile technologies to various industries, promote the generation of EBCT and strengthen collaboration networks and the link between the national scientific ecosystem so that Chile becomes a pole of innovation in Latin America.

About Fraction

Fraction Pharmacies It was born in 2018, with the aim of improving access to medicines for thousands of people. He currently wants to take charge of 50 communes that do not have a pharmacy, through the implementation of a permanent solution that allows medicines to be brought closer to people.

About SQM

Headquartered in northern Chile, SQM provides solutions for human development through its five business lines: lithium, iodine, potassium, industrial chemicals, and specialty plant nutrition. In each of them, SQM holds a position of world leadership. Its products are essential for the health, food and technology industries, and for the generation of clean energy that moves the world.