In order to ensure better and affordable health care facilities to its employees, Chhattisgarh-based Coal India subsidiary, South Eastern Coalfields Ltd (SECL) will become the first coal company to open Amrit Pharmacy in its hospitals. SECL has signed an MoU with HLL Lifecare Ltd, a PSU under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare to set up Amrit Pharmacy stores in its hospitals.
In the initial phase the Amrit stores would be set up at hospitals at SECL HQ, Bilaspur and Central Hospitals in the operational areas of Gevra, Sohagpur and Chirimiri.
The Amrit pharmacies in SECL hospitals will ensure availability of generic and lifesaving branded drugs under one roof. These pharmacies will provide medicines, implants, surgical consumables etc. for common diseases as well as critical conditions, at highly subsidized rates which will greatly benefit in and outpatients consisting of SECL employees as well as the general public visiting these hospitals.
With medicines being directly supplied to the employees through the Amrit pharmacies, the initiative will also help in reducing medical reimbursements thereby helping the company with judicious use of medical resources while ensuring quality medicines to the patients.
Launched in 2015, AMRIT ( Affordable Medicines and Reliable Implants for Treatment) is a flagship scheme of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to provide medicines for various diseases including critical illness like cancer and cardiovascular diseases at highly subsidized rates to the public. Currently there are more than 300 Amrit pharmacies being operated different States/UTs in the country.