news details |
|
|
| Medical reps face sales pressure; pharma companies make their life hell | | | Syed Junaid Hashmi
Early Times Report
JAMMU, Nov 29: Pharmaceutical companies have made life hell of the medical representatives by setting unworkable sale targets, thus draining them physically as well as mentally.
Some of the medical representatives have taken to hypertensive drugs to ensure that their heath does not deteriorate much due to the work pressure from the companies. According to medical representatives working with various top companies, they are assigned targets which are either too high or too much unworkable and then threatened with being removed from the job, if the target is not met within the stipulated time period.
They said that the companies both national as well as international prefer not even listening to their basic issues with the targets set for them but want them to complete the same either by hook or crook. "You are set a target of Rs. 10 to 12 Lakh per month. You have to roam around for more than 16 hours, searching for customers who include shopkeepers and others people associated with the business of medicines," said a medical representative seeking anonymity.
He added that for them, life is hell since they hardly get few hours to spend with their family. "We hardly get any time to spend with our families. Most of the time, we are roaming the market, pleading with customers to buy our medicine, requesting doctors to recommend our medicine and making efforts at all levels to ensure, we meet our targets well on time," said the MR while talking to Early Times. He added that if the targets are not met, they are harassed to the hilt.
He informed that most of the medical representatives get three month time for completing the target set by the company. "Company seeks answers from you after three months apart from regularly troubling throughout the three month tenure by holding regular reviews of sale targets. After three months, if the target is not completed, the company without even giving termination notice throws you out," said the MR who works with an international pharma company.
Since the pharma companies are hardly touched by the agencies of the State Government i.e. Labour Department and Health and Medical Education ministry; they care little about the rights of the medical representatives who work round the clock for the companies, said the MR. He maintained that though the start-up salary is good but since there is no job guarantee, the salary hardly helps in coping with the pressure of the medical market.
Another medical representative who works with a reputed national pharma company said that he developed hypertension and is on heart failure drugs. "It is virtually impossible to cope up with the pressure both at the work place and then at home. Your family wants you around and you cannot just do that. This all ends up with one being under intense pressure for having failed to fulfil his duty both as a family member and also as an employee of a pharma company," added the MR.
He said that State Government should atleast frame some rules for the medical representatives (MRs) who works more than people working in other fields. "There should be some rules and regulations governing the employment of MRs in various companies so that they are not ordinarily thrown out by the owners of their companies. This would be oath-breaking and go a long way in addressing the pains of the owners of the pharma companies," added the MR.
On being asked, owner of a Pharma company said "WE give them handsome salaries plus allowances. We are doing our bit but if they feel, they are being victimised, it can be their opinion but on our part, we are doing best for making life of MRs bright and beautiful." He added that medical representatives sign an agreement when they are offered job and they work, according to that agreement. "Where comes the question of harassment," added MR. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
STOCK UPDATE |
|
|
 |
| BSE
Sensex |
 |
| NSE
Nifty |
|
|
| |
CRICKET UPDATE |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
