What industries in the health sector are allowed on WhatsApp?
However, businesses will be disallowed from selling any items (ex: drugs, medical devices) related to their business, but can sell services (ex: doctor visits, procedures) related to their business on WhatsApp:
- Pharmaceutical manufacturers (cannot sell pharmaceuticals on WhatsApp)
- Medical device manufacturers (cannot sell medical devices on WhatsApp)
- Body enhancement and modification clinics (can sell their services on WhatsApp)
- Pharmacies (cannot sell pharmaceuticals and medical devices on WhatsApp, but can provide medical services on WhatsApp, such as vaccine administration and medical testing, incl. providing helpful information about COVID-19 vaccine in their local area.
Examples of medical services allowed for pharmacies include:
- Send personalized updates about a person’s eligibility to receive the vaccine
- Schedule appointments for testing and vaccine administration
- Answer user-initiated questions about testing and vaccines
- Establish a chatbot to respond to frequently asked questions about their medical services, including COVID-19 and vaccine information
- Appointment follow-ups.
Pharmacies are prohibited from using WhatsApp Business solutions for customer care use-cases that are not related to the administration of medical services. For example, a pharmacy’s healthcare clinic would be allowed to send a person an update about when they can receive a vaccine, but would not be allowed to provide customer support for its retail services.
In addition, this policy update will allow these verticals to use WhatsApp Business Solutions, so long as they do not sell goods/services prohibited by the Commerce Policy on WhatsApp:
- Pet adoption
- Blood donation centers
- Manufacturers of animal products (leather, fur, etc.)
- Medical products/devices for animal health
That means pharma retailers cannot use WhatsApp yet as their business model is directly related to selling pharmaceuticals. For more information, please check the WhatsApp Commerce Policy.
NOTE: This expansion of medical services does NOT apply to entities operating in the U.S. or France due to heightened regulatory restrictions regarding health data. If medical services in these countries attempt to onboard the WhatsApp platform, they will be rejected.