Interview

Our population is ageing, the labour force is shrinking and digital capabilities are developing at lightning speed. That has a direct impact on the entire healthcare system. With the creation of the OCTA Pharmacy Group, CEO Ben Diepenmaat is determined to respond to the challenges in pharmaceutical care.

"Most people are good at taking note of what is not working and accepting it resignedly. But if you want to change something, you have to start that change yourself. Our journey began in 2006. So it has taken quite some time to get to where we are today."

Today, the OCTA Pharmacy Group consists of more than 50 community pharmacies, two institutional pharmacies, a clinic pharmacy, a scientific institute and hubs for purchasing, stock control and central filling. This means that all the disciplines within pharmacy are linked together.

"I am incredibly proud of all those people who have joined along the way and are now part of our story. The employees at the various business units as well as our scale enable us to really make a difference. As caregivers, we hold the key to the transition in healthcare ourselves, with ICT solutions becoming increasingly important to fully utilize our potential."