The Health May 2021 | Page 11

Founder of Farmasi Al Falah and Farmasi Zufa

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MAY , 2021 | THE HEALTH

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Rohaya Leman

Founder of Farmasi Alang and Lawang Rezeki
We used Facebook for marketing and sales and used a delivery service . Even my educational talks were done via Facebook during this pandemic .”
ROHAYA opened the first pharmacy in Masjid Tanah , Melaka . As there were no pharmacies in the area , she wanted to provide a health and wellness service to the residents . She also tried to make them more aware of such issues .
So in 1996 , Farmasi Alang was registered , and she started the business operation selling medicinal items in 1997 . Later , she opened another pharmacy named Lawang Rezeki , which sells rehabilitation items .
While she may be the first to establish a pharmacy in Masjid Tanah , there is now competition as nine other pharmacies are operating there .
“ Six of them are independent retail pharmacies while three are chain pharmacies ,” she shared .
However , she has managed to sustain herself over the years with her two different sections of clientele . She is both retail and wholesale , where she caters to walk-in customers and large governmental bodies , respectively .
Rohaya , who attended the Duopharma Biotech Halal Pharmapreneur Programme , is also an ambassador appointed by Jabatan Kesihatan Negeri Melaka to give awareness talks on health , medicine and diseases .
“ I ’ m passionate about educating the public , especially those in the rural areas ,
about health , wellness as well as about medicines and treatments . I give talks at self-organised events or State government events ,” she said , adding she has been the Know Your Medicine Ambassador for the past 10 years .
In 2016 , Farmasi Alang , in collaboration with the community leaders around Masjid Tanah , organised a charity for “ Sumbangan Peralatan Kesihatan ”, donating rehabilitation items such as wheelchairs , canes and commode chairs .
Rohaya plans to expand her business but needed to decide if medicinal pharmacy or rehab pharmacy would be more suitable and lucrative .
The pandemic , she said , only had a slight effect on the business . There was still high demand for personal protection equipment ( PPEs ), hand sanitisers and face masks .
“ We sustained by supplying PPEs and hand sanitisers to government bodies and universities .”
Apart from the contactless and social distancing practices , the business model also switched to the online platform .
“ We used Facebook for marketing and sales and used a delivery service . Even my educational talks were done via Facebook during this pandemic .”
She was careful to identify and order only fast-moving items .

Ramlah Yusof

Founder of Farmasi Al Falah and Farmasi Zufa
I wanted freedom of time as well as financial independence . So , I resigned and worked with a private retail pharmacy for the first two years before opening my own pharmacy .”
FOR RAMLAH , freedom of time and financial independence is crucial in her life , which pushed her to venture into her own pharmacy business .
After graduating in 2001 , she did her housemanship and worked in the Hospital Tengku Ampuan Afzan ( HTAA ) for three years . During her time there , she found that the on-calls and working schedules were not suitable for her .
“ I wanted freedom of time as well as financial independence . So , I resigned and worked with a private retail pharmacy for the first two years before opening my own pharmacy .”
After gaining some experience , she took up a Majlis Amanah Rakyat ( MARA ) loan and opened her own pharmacy .
Ramlah established her first pharmacy in 2006 , initially known as Impian Pharma Enterprise , before changing it to Farmasi Al Falah in 2014 . She then opened another branch named
Farmasi Zufa in March 2019 . Both pharmacies are in Pahang , which is close to her home and family .
She said the clientele for both pharmacies differed . While both had a majority of Malay customers , Farmasi Zufa , located in Bandar Indera Mahkota 5 , Kuantan , catered to a working and more educated clientele .
Meanwhile , Farmasi Al Falah is located in Jalan Sg Lembing , Kuantan , near a Felda settlement . That caters to working women and elderly or geriatric patients .
At the moment , she has no plans to expand or branch out her business but instead is focused on improving and stabilising both pharmacies management and monitoring systems .
After joining the Duopharma Biotech Halal Pharmapreneur Programme , Ramlah is now revamping her vision and business model to adapt to current times .
“ Before this , my business model was 100 per cent offline . This year , after attending the workshop , I have hired social media staff .”
She noted the hiring process was a challenge as they required someone skilled at managing social media and knowledgeable in wellness and health .
“ The first person I hired was not able to cope , and I had to find a replacement . As of now , our social media presence is in the development stage .”
According to her , the workshop has also helped her to differentiate her business in the marketplace .
Ramlah is currently learning about nutritional medicine . She has attended a programme called “ Pengurusan Emosi ” to provide a better service to customers in terms of dispensing medication . At the same time , she is better able to give advice on emotional health . — The Health