Chain store pharmacies on the rise in City

Chain store pharmacies on the rise in City
Vijay Times

BANGALORE, which has so far made a name for itself in medical care, is now aiming to be one of those few cities in the country that can boast of possessing the best in all departments of medicine, including pharmacy.

With several pharmacy chain stores choosing to expand rapidly in the City, Bangalore is already on its way to the top of the list of most preferred medical destinations in the country.

CAUSE FOR INCREASE

One reason that entrepreneurs give for the rise in the number of such p h a r m a c y chain stores is the presence of several pharmacy colleges in the City.

M C Kini, Chief Executive Officer of a leading pharma group that has a series of pharmacy stores, said, "Organised retail format is picking up faster in this City and so, we have expanded rapidly. We already have 25 stores here." He said that the network was growing in the City because Bangalore was a relatively young City where people were more willing to accept new ideas.

"Moreover, one of the major reasons for our expansion here is that we have plenty of resources here in the form of pharmacy colleges. As a result, we have access to pharmacists, whom we employ at the chain stores," he added.

PHARMACISTS NEEDED

Talking about the increase in demand for pharmacists, he said, "We work from 7 am to 11 pm and so we operate on a double-shift basis, which means we require two pharmacists in a day. Moreover, we also need to have some pharmacists in reserve." Commenting on the concept of chain stores, M S Ramaiah College of Pharmacy principal Dr V Madhavan said, "This trend might help standardise the method of dispensing drugs." Further, he said, "With several chain stores coming up, the demand for pharmacists has increased this year and we are not able to meet the demand." Pointing out the reason for this, he said, "Almost 90 per cent of the students are from outside this state.

So, they prefer to go back to their hometowns after finishing their courses."

INSTRUCTIVE MEN

Stressing on the importance of pharmacists, he said, "They have to have genuine qualified pharmacists in such stores because if some problem occurs in one of their outlets, then the entire chain will suffer." "A customer needs to know that with tetracycline, milk shouldnt be consumed. Otherwise, it reduces the effect," he said and pointed out that it was the duty of the pharmacists to inform customers about facts like these.

CONSUMERS VOICE

Sandeep Shetty, a software engineer by profession, said," We would definitely prefer buying medicines from chain stores because they seem much more authentic. It is only when we urgently need medicines that we take it from the other stores." Geetha Rao, a homemaker, said, "Even the look of the place from where you buy medicines matters a lot and the chain stores really live up to the expectations in that aspect. Moreover, in case of a doubt, you can always approach the qualified pharmacist present there."