Šifra mládí 4 / Youth Code 4 | Page 46

COMmERCIAL PRESENTATION Traditional Czech Pharmacies: IPC Pharmacies Pharmacy is a beautiful science. Its purpose is to discover medicine that would allow patients to live happier and more valuable lives. As we like to say gladly and often, it is one of the very few fields left in the world in which you can only be successful if you’re constantly increasing the lifespan of your patients. Isn’t this a perfect motivation and also a perfect reward? For us, pharmacy has been a mission as well as everyday reality for almost 23 years. Such progressive development has lead to the birth of the International Pharmaceutical Corporation, a.s. in 1999 to be there to coordinate all the divisions and filial companies. This significant Czech owned company, managed and operated exclusively by pharmacists then emerged, currently focused on developing a group of pharmacies across the Czech Republic with excessive experience and a long tradition. At this point there are 45 pharmacies in our group. It all began with the Velvet Revolution and emerging of private pharmacies in our country. One of the very first private pharmacies in the Czech Republic as well as the first of three major groups of pharmacies was opened in 1993 by a local pharmacist, a graduate of Pharmaceutical Faculty of Charles University in the centre of Hradec Králové at the very spot where first ever pharmacy in the city had been opened in the year 1540. The interior was decorated by original antique furniture from the museum of pharmacy which makes you feel like visiting an ancient traditional pharmacy when you walk in. Outside, there is a golden lion watching over the pharmacy. It is a patron of the pharmacy as well as of its name – Golden Lion’s Pharmacy. The main difference between IPC pharmacies and their competition is the quality of services we provide without the negatives of big chains always trying to create an oligopoly. We vigorously refuse otherwise common controversial practises such as irrational altering of patient’s medication in the name of gain, motivation of our employees to sell more rather than provide quality care, aggressive marketing etc. The independence is also preserved for every single pharmacy within the group as its chief pharmacist is solely responsible for its correct operation. The main goal is a fully satisfied patient whose health condition is carefully monitored by a pharmacist who educates themselves continuously in order to be true professionals at all times. We believe that satisfied patients are the best marketing campaign for every company. Development of our company has then continued with opening of many other pharmacies inside and outside Hradec Králové and so building of a modern group of pharmacies with tradition began. The extent of our activities has spread and widened continuously into many different branches of medicine as the new divisions were founded. Pharmacy division is responsible for founding pharmacies, hospital division supplies hospitals, distribution division distributes drugs across the Czech Republic and abroad, marketing division is focused on marketing in the field of health service and pharmaceutical economics and the ZP division is focused on medical tools. Most recently, a gastro division has been founded which organizes cafés, restaurants and bars with medical background as well as provides catering for medical events. New pharmacies are being opened every year, among the recently opened are for example pharmacies in Slatiňany and Seč. IPC pharmacies also intensively support sports and the activities of Pharmaceutical Faculty in their hometown; therefore they are a proud partner of the HC Mountfield Hradec Králové ice hockey club as well as of the Union of Czech Students of Pharmacy. Writer: Mgr. Petr Mašát This is a complete list of IPC Pharmacies in the Czech Republic www.ipcgroup.cz www.lekarny-ipc.cz IPC pharmacies… All you need for health… 22 #4 spring/summer 2016