In a rare example of a pharma company with a clear campaign exit strategy, Pfizer UK has handed control of its Man MOT online male health clinic to the Men's Health Forum charity before stepping away from it.

Man MOT was the UK's first online health surgery for men and every Monday evening Pfizer provided confidential access to healthcare professionals.

It saw the pharma company work with a wide range of health organisations, including an informal partnership with the NHS and patient groups such as Diabetes UK, Relate, Heart UK and the Men's Health Forum.

Since its launch in July 2010 the site attracted almost 72,000 visits and saw over 2,000 men engage in a one-to-one web consultation with one of Man MOT's GPs or healthcare experts.

A survey carried out last year by Pfizer found that 57 per cent of Man MOT visitors had not previously sought help for their health concern, something the company said indicates a real need for this type of web-based service.

Dr Seema Jani, Man MOT's resident GP, said: “Over the last couple of years Man MOT has provided invaluable health support to men. The number of men using the internet to access health information is rising and it is important that healthcare services keep up with patient needs.

“With potentially life-threatening illnesses on the increase in men, it is vital that they have accessible, professional health advice and information. By being open out of hours, Man MOT complements, rather than replaces real GP surgeries. It can fit around busy schedules and provide an alternative option for health advice.” 

But the project, which came to be highlighted within Pfizer as an example of best practice in the area, presented the company with a problem – what to do when their priorities shifted elsewhere.

The costs associated with Man MOT put it out of the reach of most of its charity partners and the service went on hiatus in June last year.

Now Man MOT has been transferred to the Men's Health Forum, a charity devoted to the health and wellbeing of men and boys in England and Wales, which yesterday relaunched the service.

“They've run it for quite a while and it's a brilliant services, but it's not really core to what Pfizer do, it's much more along the lines of what we do,” a spokesman for the Men's Health Forum told PMLiVE.

The charity has already extended the site, which was originally branded as a 'Monday Opportunity to Talk', adding an additional Sunday evening surgery and he said the site would be given a short trial in its current incarnation, during which time visitor needs and partnership potential would be assessed. 

The GP consultations will then close for a month or two to allow the site to be redesigned and reworked in the light of user feedback, ahead of a full relaunch that will be timed to coincide with Men's Health Week in June.

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