06 January 2022
The 2021 Global WiM Award shortlist has been announced and as we prepare for the Awards Ceremony is set to take place very soon, we shine a spotlight on the amazing shortlisted women from across the continent.
For the third edition of the Africa Spotlight Series we speak to Sandra Arinaitwe, Marketing Manager at Rocket Health in Uganda.
Rocket Health is a private telemedicine company headquartered in Uganda that designs innovative digital health solutions that are locally contextualized and achieve the best outcomes throughout the healthcare value chain.
WiM Africa: What does it mean to you to be shortlisted for the 2021 Global Women in Marketing Awards?
SA: It means a lot considering the hurdles and trials I have gone through to get to this stage. When I joined the marketing department at The Medical Concierge Group, I was fascinated by the difference telemedicine had made in the lives of the early adopters of the service. At the time, I was also in and out of the hospital with my parents who have chronic conditions. The biggest challenge for most caregivers is finding a physician that is readily available when we need them or getting laboratory tests and medication at a price that is pocket friendly. Telemedicine presented a solution for us. When we launched the Rocket Health service in 2019, it became a personal mission to share this solution with the rest of the world. I feel glad that everything we have done as an organisation, at a department [and] individual level has contributed to this. I am grateful.
WiM Africa: Name one key element of marketing telemedicine/health-tech services that will grow or change in 2022.
SA: The one thing that will grow is having more personalised interactions with our clients across the customer journey. The COVID-19 pandemic has placed patients and caregivers in the driver’s seat. They are now more involved in their healthcare choices and have very high expectations for personalized and convenient products and services. The experience we create for them at the point of service and the value given thereafter will determine their purchasing decisions. As marketers, the patient experience should take top priority in 2022. We need to be deliberate in offering a seamless experience both online and offline, listen to patient feedback and use it to improve and constantly innovate across the value chain.
WiM Africa: We see you are passionate about sports. What is the greatest life lesson you have learnt from your journey with sports?
SA: The greatest lesson I have learnt from sports is resilience. When I joined Kyambogo University in 2012 for my undergraduate degree, I was introduced to swimming. I would spend some of my weekends mastering the strokes and after months of training, I was selected to represent the university at the East African University games. I had only one relay race to do which went to the pits. I slowed down the whole team by several minutes. I remember the disappointment on everyone’s face and the heartache I felt afterwards. I didn’t quit! I looked around for a swimming club with a dedicated coach and enrolled for more training. From that day, I have been the age-group champion at all Masters swimming galas and collected several medals from corporate tournaments.
I refuse to let a bad experience define who I am. I see them as opportunities to learn and grow in whatever craft I need to perfect. I have applied this positivity and winning attitude to everything else in life. When something isn’t going well, I take a step back to evaluate, draw lessons from every experience, forgive myself, stay committed to improving my craft and most importantly, stay disciplined.
Check out all the 2021 Global WiM Awards Shortlisted Women.
Further information on the Awards Ceremony to be announced soon!