Home ›› 10 Sep 2022 ›› Front
Thousands of youths are picking challenging Medical Representative (MR) as a profession owing to the availability of jobs thanks to the expansion of pharmaceutical companies in Bangladesh.
Medical sales representatives are the only marketing lifeline for pharmaceutical companies, as promotion of any sort or advertisement is strictly prohibited by the country’s laws.
MRs is also known as medical representative officers or medical information officers or medical services officers who describe the features of medicines to medical professionals, including doctors and nurses, and pharmacies and promote them to boost sales.
Amid the scarcity of jobs, this challenging profession is attracting job seekers as they can get hired through an easy process and without lobbying or giving bribes.
Bangladesh Pharmaceuticals Representatives Association (BPRA) Acting General Secretary Habibur Rahman told The Business Post that medical representative is an ambitious profession but there are lots of scopes if anyone can handle the challenge and work to the best of their capacity.
He said there are around 900 medicine companies, including 278 allopathic ones, across the country where 2.5 lakh MRs currently work.
The medicine market size is Tk 25,000 crore where around 15 lakh people are engaged in this sector, he added.
In recent times, local pharmaceutical companies have emerged as game changers by contributing over 90 per cent of the available medicines in the market.
Market players estimate that the local market size was about Tk 25,000 crore in 2019. In 2012, it was around Tk 9,390 crore, and in 2017, it hit Tk 18,756 crore, according to the IMS Health Care Report.
The pharmaceutical industry currently contributes 1.83 per cent to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), according to industry people.
The nature of the job
Medical sales representatives are the key point of contact between pharmaceutical and medical companies and healthcare professionals.
Excellent sales skill is the key requirement for MRs as they are promoting and selling all the products of pharmaceutical companies.
MRs increase product awareness, answer queries, provide advice and introduce new products among the customers, including doctors, nurses and pharmacists.
The representatives also explain various aspects of a product to the doctors. Such as what medicines the companies are making, what are their qualities and usages, and which one cures which disease.
They keep detailed records of how a company’s products are being sold in the market and inform the company about which products are selling well and which ones are not.
Talking to The Business Post, Beximco Pharmaceuticals Ltd MR Rafik said, “Sometimes, doctors prefer us to the literature provided with the medicines and products, to know where and how to use them.”
“We always must have a clear idea about the products they deal with, to inform the doctors on their qualities and field of usage. Each MR promotes 125 to 150 products on average,” he said.
“At first, it was tough to remember all the names and properties of the medicines. But over time and practice, it became easier,” he added.
Kamal Hossain, an MR of Beacon Pharmaceuticals Limited, said, “After companies introduce new drugs, we have to explain to the doctors why these drugs are in the market and why they are better in terms of quality than the previous ones.”
“Apart from introducing products to the doctors, we also collect orders from drug stores and write regular reports to the companies,” he added.
MR as a career
Over the past two decades, the demand for medical sales representatives in Bangladesh has increased significantly, alongside the increase of pharmaceutical companies.
Anyone can go for this job at different medicine companies, including allopathic, homoeopathic, Unani, and ayurvedic, which sell health care products around the country.
Seeking anonymity, an official of a pharmaceutical company told The Business Post that the MR job is a good profession but the interested individuals must have a mindset to take on tough challenges. Anyone can rise in this job through hard work and by utilising their merit properly.
“If anyone with intelligence works hard and performs better, there is no way they will be left behind in this profession,” said the official.
Promotion is possible within one or two years after the initial appointment as an MR officer. Then, there are opportunities to become an area manager, senior area manager, sales manager, senior sales manager and head of sales in phases.
There are also examples of promotion from the post of MR to the top posts of pharmaceutical companies.
M Mohibuz Zaman started his career as an MR at Beximco Pharmaceuticals in 1980. Later, he climbed the ladder very quickly and held different posts owing to his good performance. He is currently working as the chief operating officer at ACI Pharmaceuticals.
Another example is Md Rafiqul Islam. He started his career as an MR around 37 years ago and he retired as the chief executive officer of RAK Pharmaceuticals Pvt Ltd in 2011.
Recruitment and requirements
According to recruiters, pharmaceutical companies generally recruit those with a bachelor’s degree from the science background up to the higher secondary level, while some companies allow only those with a bachelor in science degree.
There is no need for job experience to apply for the new companies but the reputed companies want at least two years of experience for MRs.
Initially, the companies recruit MRs by taking interviews or written tests and they permanently appoint them after they successfully pass a one to three-month-long training. The posting also depends on the recruits’ performances during the training.
Like any other job, companies recruit MRs through advertisements in newspapers and online job portals.
There are no specific statistics on how many people are employed as MR every year as people get hired in this sector throughout the year.
Insiders say there are no accurate statistics on employment in the sector but around 4,000-5,000 people are entering the job every year.
Big players in the sector, like Square Pharmaceuticals, Beximco and Incepta Pharmaceuticals, have the highest number of MRs as they own a long list of medicines and products.
Most of the MRs are men because the profession is relatively difficult for women. However, women have also been choosing this as a career lately.
Salary and facilities
The starting salary of an MR is between Tk 20,000 and Tk 25,000 but they also get special benefits for meeting their targets on time.
Apart from a handsome salary with additional travel and dearness allowances, MRs also get two to five bonuses every year from pharmaceutical companies.
There are also opportunities for foreign trips, extra incentives for achievements, employee assistance fund and group life insurance.
MRs also enjoy marriage allowance, child’s birth and school admission allowance, smartphone, motorcycle, leave encasement, provident fund, gratuity, and profit participation fund.
