HLL Lifecare to expand pharmacy network to 600 outlets, add 4,500 jobs

Bengaluru: HLL Lifecare Ltd, a Miniratna PSU under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare headquartered in Kerala, plans to expand its pharmacy network to about 600 outlets across India over the next year, creating around 4,500 jobs.

The expansion coincides with HLL’s retail pharmacy operations completing 15 years on September 26. The company began its retail public-health services with a Lifecare Centre at Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram, in 2011.

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HLL currently operates about 340 retail pharmacy centres, including around 20 HLL Pharmacy and Surgicals outlets, and employs about 2,000 pharmacists, of whom 863 are women. The proposed expansion is expected to increase the number of pharmacists and other healthcare professionals in its network.

HLL, a statement said, has expanded its retail services through HLL Pharmacy, Free Generic Stores, HLL Opticals, AMRIT Pharmacy and AMRIT Opticals. The network focuses on providing medicines, medical devices, implants and other healthcare products at affordable prices.

A major expansion came in 2015 when HLL began implementing AMRIT (Affordable Medicines and Reliable Implants for Treatment), a Ministry of Health & Family Welfare initiative.

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The first AMRIT Pharmacy was opened at AIIMS, New Delhi, in November 2015. The network has since grown to 285 outlets across 24 states and four Union Territories.

AMRIT offers more than 6,500 medicines, implants, surgical disposables and other healthcare products, with discounts of up to 50% on MRP.

HLL is expanding its retail network through partnerships with Central and state government PSUs, including NMDC, Coal India and Eastern Coalfields, in addition to government hospitals, port trust hospitals and medical colleges, the news release added..

“For HLL, retail is not simply about selling medicines. It is about making essential healthcare more accessible and affordable,” said Benny Joseph, Director (Technical & Operations), HLL Lifecare.

The expansion will coincide with World Pharmacists Day, observed on September 25.