Dr. Alfonso Bunch.

We spoke with Alfonso Bunch, currently medical director for Latin America and commercial leader for Baxter RCS Colombia. We show a little of his trajectory and career with us in the following interview:

1. Tell me about your current role.

Alfonso Bunch: Sure, I'll tell you, I'm currently in a mixed role, first of all, I've been serving for several years as medical director of RCS for Latin America; To ensure the proper functioning of the operation, in all our clinics and in the hospitals where we provide services, I am very focused on ensuring that everything that is done from a medical, care and quality point of view is well done.

The other role, the other head of my position, which is the new one, is the management of the RCS business in Colombia, where I currently direct the entire clinic operation, apart from the medical area there are two large blocks, one is the commercial area where we We take care of working throughout the customer relationship process, and maintaining and helping to satisfy all the needs of our customers.

2. What is the most important part of your job?

Alfonso Bunch: Well, without a doubt, the responsibility of being in charge of caring for such a large number of patients, one feels that we have a responsibility and a goal in what we are doing, so always keep in mind that patients are the most important thing and that we work every day for them and to generate results, which is a fundamental part of the work and on the other hand, being able to work with a very large group of diverse people with whom we focus a lot on generating results and that is also very attractive and very important .

3. What has been the strongest impact of covid on your work?

Alfonso Bunch: To change things a bit from how they were done before, I think that in this process of starting to work with clients and work teams virtually, it is a new and very interesting experience. What it shows us is that we have a very strong ability to adapt to different ways of doing things. And from the point of view of the company, for RCS, without a doubt, covid means many challenges, such as changing our care model, structuring virtual patient care, reducing the presence of patients in clinics, establishing protocols for how to care for hemodialysis patients who had, yes or yes, to go to renal clinics….

The direct hit of covid for us as a business has occurred in two blocks, the first is the hospital nephrology business, which grew a lot in Colombia. The other strong issue was because of all these biosafety protocols that we had to implement in the clinics, we had a very large incremental cost in personal protection elements.

4. What has been super valuable?

Alfonso Bunch: That all the work teams have adapted in an incredible way, the work that the clinics have done to overcome all this, to ensure that things are done well in terms of caring for patients, has caused the blows by Covid don't be so strong.

So it is an immense thanks to all the people who have done this and additionally to the clinics, well, to all the teams of doctors, nurses, nephrologists, support group, admissions staff who have had to be on the front line attending and managing all these patients without a doubt assuming a risk, but doing it in a very professional and appropriate way within all care.

5. What makes you stay at Baxter?

Alfonso Bunch: Many things, first of all I think there is an issue with my position that is undoubtedly super attractive, we truly live our mission of saving and sustaining lives every day and Baxter RCS offers us that, being able to work in a company in which definitely gives me a supremely important mission and we work for many patients, so being able to take care of such a large number of patients is part of the main attraction of working in the company and from then on, the issue of recognition, of to be in a solid company, to know that there has been a rewarding and developmental career that has been very important for me that has occurred in these twelve years of continuous growth, because I believe that they generate passion for the things that are done, but also an attachment and a desire to continue and to ensure that we can show the best results for the company.

6. What professional advice would you give to someone starting their career at Baxter RCS?

Alfonso Bunch: I believe that one always has to dream, so my advice would be to dream, to imagine how you want to see yourself professionally in 5, in 10 years, how you want that growth to be, think about what you want and start working for it, that make sure that on a day-to-day basis in everything you do, in all your meetings, in the work with your leaders, in the work with the other support areas with which you collaborate, you have a focus on what you want is to have a development and growth for you and for the company. I believe that if one focuses on that, without a doubt things happen and the results come additionally and on the other hand we have supremely solid cultural levers, I believe that one should use them in absolutely everything one does, almost even for outside the company and if you stick to them things usually work out.

7. Ok, lastly, what would you say to the Alfonso Bunch of 25 years ago if you could have him fronting today?

Alfonso Bunch: Hahaha difficult question… I think I would tell him to continue pursuing his dreams, that things are going to happen, that without a doubt there are difficulties and challenges along the way, but that you always have to know how to face them in the most transparent way, more clear as possible and always seeking to benefit those areas that I am telling you about, that is, our co-workers, our patients and the company in which we are working.