Minister V S Sunilkumar inaugurates HLL pharmacy and HLL opticals at Thrissur Medical College

THRISSUR:
Minister for Agriculture V S Sunilkumar opened the 13th HLL Pharmacy and Surgicals in Kerala at Government Medical College here. He also opened HLL opticals outlet which provides lenses and frames at 10 to 40 per cent lower than the market rates.
HLL pharmacy and surgicals and HLL Opticals are as part of a chain under a pioneering joint venture of the central PSU HLL and the Kerala Government.
Minister congratulated HLL in providing affordable life-saving drugs and medical equipment to needy patients after inaugurating the new HLL Pharmacy & Surgicals and HLL Opticals outlet at the Government Medical College, Thrissur.
“HLL is on a mission to reduce the exploitation existing in the healthcare sector. The government should intervene to remove the wholesale dealers from the medicine supply chain. This will make the medicines more affordable,” said the Minister during his inaugural address.
HLL Pharmacy & Surgicals offers surgical implants and other products like medicines, disposables, stents and pacemakers at 10 to 40 per cent discounts. HLL Opticals provides lenses and frames at 10 to 40 per cent lower than market rates. In addition to subsidised services for the needy, the centre also provides cashless services to Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) cardholders.
The first centre of HLL Pharmacy & Surgicals started functioning at the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College in October 2011. It has branches in Pathanamthitta General Hospital, Ernakulam and Kozhikode medical colleges and Kannur and Vatakara district hospitals. HLL Opticals was started first in the Regional Institute of Ophthalmology in Thiruvananthapuram.
Presiding over the event, Anil Akkara, MLA, said, “It is a known fact that a particular medicine can have different rates in different shops. Providing medicines to the people at affordable rates is the need of time and HLL has come up with a great initiative in this regard.”
HLL Director (Marketing) Dr Babu Thomas, in his welcome address, said the c
ompany came up with Hindlabs at a time when the private labs were charging hefty rates diagnostic tests. “This made our services more affordable for patients. Now it has also prompted the private labs to cut the rates. HLL aims to deliver reliable, affordable and quality health solutions to the needy and the less privileged,” he added.
HLL Director (Technical and Operations) E A Subramaniam, Medical College Principal Dr M K Ajayakumar and its RMO Dr C P Murali were among those spoke on the occasion.