Pula Medical Aid Fund rebrands

• Says it shifted its brand identity to fit in with a changing operating environment
• Minister Dikoloti says medical aid cover has “become a need as opposed to a luxury”

Bidding farewell to their tagline “We Are Here for You,” Pula Medical Aid Fund says it conducted a purpose workshop to redefine its new tagline, “Hello Life” to reiterate its commitment to meeting all of its various customer demands and growing healthcare needs.

Giving an overview of the new brand identity at a special event recently, Principal Officer Khumoetsile Mapitse said several factors were considered before the rebranding exercise began. The fund reflected on its journey and new strategic direction. Thereafter a comprehensive brand and customer satisfaction audit was conducted to inform this new shift and to get assurance that members would still identify with the brand they have so passionately come to love.

“In coming up with the new brand identity, we had to ensure that we preserve the Fund’s existing integrity and brand warmth whilst infusing new energy and maintaining the Fund’s image and integrity in a changing operating environment,” Mapitse explained. He said regardless of the size of the Fund or the industry that PulaMed operates in, change is always imminent. The company has therefore adjusted accordingly in order to remain relevant and competitive.

“COVID-19 has certainly taught us to be more agile and nimble if we are to stand a fighting chance of survival, hence you saw us open up a vaccination site that affords Batswana a premium vaccination experience and our launch of the COVID-19 Care Home – an initiative that sought to help COVID-19 infected patients with treatment at a time when our healthcare system was extremely overwhelmed,” he said.

Mapitse added that the Fund introduced a WhatsApp line where clients pre-book their appointments to ensure that members of the public were vaccinated at a time convenient to them without worrying about long queues. This came against the backdrop of development of the Fund’s WhatsApp Business App and interactive web portal solutions to ease the lives of members and service providers with full-time access to information.

The Principal Officer emphasised that PulaMed will remain customer-centric and responsive to its members’ needs. The company has recommitted themselves to continued premium service delivery not only to its members but to all citizens of Botswana. “As a 100 percent member-owned Fund, we have always been about our people and have existed for our people, hence our name being attributed to pula, meaning rain, which always brings the hope of life,” Mapitse said.

Also speaking at the event, the Minster of Health and Wellness, Edwin Dikoloti applauded PulaMed for rising in the midst of the gloomy atmosphere of COVID-19. Minister Dikoloti noted the company’s agility to rebrand and reposition itself during an era where the world seems to be falling apart. He described as “a true sign of resilience” PulaMed’s realignment of purpose and business model.

“With the assistance and through strategic partnerships with private medical aid schemes, the ministry also facilitates private access to health services through a wide range of health facilities and management structures to Batswana,” he said. “When we speak about partners and contribution to the health care sector, it would be remiss of me not to mention Pula Medical Aid Fund, now PulaMed, as a significant, efficient and consistent (partner) that has been critical in aiding us deliver on our mandate to Batswana.

“Health is an integral part of every society, and more than ever the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted that medical aid cover has fast become a need as opposed to a luxury.”