Apollo to expand pharmacy brand

The Apollo Hospitals Group will nurture Apollo Pharmacy, its retail brand, for another six months before taking a ‘strategic decision’ in June next year, according to group executive director (operations) Sangita Reddy.

“We will decide in June if we should hive off the pharmacy business, sell stake, find a strategic partner or explore other options,” she said, adding the pharma division now was on a growth path. Apollo had hinted at hiving off the pharmacy division last year.

The company has about 1,100 retail outlets and plans to add another 100. On an average, each store would require an investment of about Rs 25 lakh. It had also closed down 3-5 per cent of the stores that were not viable due to location reasons, she told Business Standard.

The outlets, she said, would also have more value-added services. The NurseStation programme, which envisages sending nurses to houses for doing BP check-ups, vaccinations and insulin injections among others, would be extended to all Pharmacy units gradually. At present, only ten per cent of the units offer this service.

This apart, it would also launch e-doc, a service to seek an appointment with Apollo doctors, at all Apollo Pharmacy units in January next year. The appointment-blocking service is currently available only on the internet.

Among others, monitoring blood pressure and other routine tests through automated gadgets, and retina check ups for diabetics would be introduced in more outlets.

Reddy said the group would hire 6,000 personnel across the cadres — paramedical, medical and management — in two years. This is part of the ongoing expansion plans of adding 2,800 beds during the period.

The company is also working on a new software for its telemedicine project for allowing many to many interactions between a district hospital and a highend hospital.