THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: HLL Lifecare Ltd, which has now forayed into providing health-care solutions, is now embarking on yet another sector, pharma retailing. The company is all set to launch its retail drug stores.
The company has submitted a proposal to the Health Department to open a chain of drug stores in Thiruvananthapuram offering round-the-clock-service.
HLL has evinced interest in opening up their outlets in three government hospitals of the city.
The three hospitals they have identified are Peroorkada Government Hospital, Fort Government Hospital and Women and Children Hospital in Thycaud. According to top sources, the Health Department has accepted this proposal in principle. The government will be providing space in the Peroorkada and Thycaud hospitals for opening their outlets. However, in Fort hospital, a separate building is required due to lack of space in the existing infrastructure.
Health Minister P.K. Sreemathi had announced on Thursday that a drug store offering 24X7 service will be opened in Thycaud hospital with the support of HLL Lifecare Ltd. The first outlet will be coming up at Thycaud hospital.
``Our main idea is to open the drug store along with a diagnostic centre. The feasibility study is going on. We have plans to open similar units in the government hospitals of Nedumangad and Neyyattinkara also,’’ said a top HLL Lifecare Ltd official.
In a major image makeover, the Hindustan Latex Limited was recently rechristened HLL Lifecare Ltd with the aim of stretching its reach beyond the contraceptive market. The effort, sources said, is to showcase the company as a provider of health-care solutions and not just condom makers.
The company has already launched its chain of hospitals; LifeSpring Hospital Private Limited, where they have already set up their own drug store. The chain of small hospitals (20-25 beds) is intended to provide low-income population access to maternal and child healthcare services. The plan is to open 30 hospitals across the country by the end of 2010 and 140 franchised hospitals by 2012. Now it has hospitals in Hyderabad, Kanpur and Agra.
The company is also setting up a Rs 100-crore medical park at Chengalpet in Tamil nadu. With the completion of this unit, HLL Lifecare will become the biggest vaccine manufacturer of the country. The 500-acre medical park will be an integrated industrial township for medical diagnostics, equipment, disposables and devices on the one hand, and a knowledge and healthcare business outsourcing hub on the other.
grajiv@epmltd.com