Advancing health equity for rural doctors in Mexico

In the vast expanse of Mexico, spanning 1.9 million square kilometers, lies a rich tapestry of history and culture. But beneath this vibrant surface, the country grapples with countless challenges, from security concerns to geographic barriers, inadequate communication infrastructure, and major health challenges such as chronic diseases and limited access to healthcare. These issues touch the lives of thousands across the nation, setting the stage for a story of resilience, innovation, and the pursuit of health equity. Our heroes in this story: our virtual sales teams that educate rural doctors and help pave the way for more equitable healthcare.

Nestled within Mexico's stunning landscapes, rural doctors work day and night to care for their patients. But they often feel like they're swimming against the tide. Hindered by isolation and limited access to the latest medical advancements, they struggle to provide top-notch care. “ This means continuous medical education for doctors is practically non-existent, leaving patients without adequate therapies,” explains Ulises Sánchez, District Manager at Boehringer Ingelheim Mexico.

In our industry, sales representatives educate doctors on the latest medications, ensuring they have the knowledge to make informed decisions for their patients' well-being. However, in Mexico, many rural areas are without support, as they are not easy to reach. “We have identified specific issues, like how 180 cities have not been visited by a sales representative. This lack of support results in doctors being outdated in their knowledge of new medicines, impacting thousands of patients with limited access to current therapies,” says Ulises. The arrival of COVID-19 worsened the situation, creating an even greater divide in healthcare?

Our sales force goes virtual

To tackle this issue, Boehringer Ingelheim launched “Project Intrepid”, a virtual sales force targeting doctors in rural communities to improve healthcare. Intrepid is a team of 15 sales representatives, two of them living with motor and visual disabilities, who focus on facilitating access to our core therapies for type-2 diabetes, asthma, and chronic obtrusive pulmonary disease (COPD). “We targeted the unvisited doctors through digital promotion strategies, such as virtual calls, digital webinars, and interactive peer-to-peer digital meetings with experts for small physician groups. Moreover, we ensure the availability of our core products in local pharmacies and provide access to medical education and communication technologies like Veeva Engage or Zoom,” explains Ulises.

Hard work paid off

The team faced initial challenges, such as doctors rejecting their services, because they were virtual. “One of our most difficult challenges was to educate physicians with digital tools,” recaps Laura López, District Manager at Boehringer Ingelheim. Our sales team had to tackle this initial rejection and dealt with a lot of frustration. “But, we persevered.”

Through tremendous hard work, the team increased the total number of doctors included in their database. “In just ten months, we went from having only 364 registered doctors to 1,697,” says Ulises. Our sales numbers reflects that this is not just a nice-to-have, but actually a solid business case: “The sales of our core products increased by over 60 percent in these 180 cities from March 2021 to December 2022.”

“They all deserve to have the best therapeutic options for their diagnosis”

Karina Navarro, a Medical Representative at Boehringer Ingelheim, emphasizes the importance of reaching patients, regardless of their location: “The most important thing at the core of our job are our patients. It shouldn't matter where they live, whether it's a big or small city. They all deserve to have the best therapeutic options for their diagnosis.”

The results speak for themselves. “Today, we can see doctors are attracted to this virtual method. Patients are benefiting, and various sales force lines have begun to implement ‘best practice’ policies with hybrid models ensuring that our success is sustained”, resumes Ulises. Now, the Intrepid team is sharing their newfound knowledge and best practices with our Animal Health colleagues in Mexico, helping them take advantage of virtual resources with customers, and with our colleagues in India, providing insights on enrolling physicians and incentivizing the Intrepid Sales Team.