Press release

Pathanamthitta: Patients at Pathanamthitta General Hospital will now have access affordable surgical equipment and medicines as HLL Lifecare Limited, a central public sector unit in collaboration with Government of Kerala will soon open a new Lifecare Centre here. Minister for Health V.S. Sivakumar will inaugurate the centre at the hospital on April 14 at a function presided over by Adv. K Sivadasan Nair MLA, with Anto Antony MP as the chief guest.
Sivakumar will also inaugurate the hospital’s renovated Trauma Care Unit which recently got a state-of-the-art laminar airflow operation theatre under a National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) project.
Municipal Chairman Adv. A Sureshkumar, NRHM Mission Director Dr M Beena, Director of Health Services Dr P K Jameela, Ward Councillor Smt Sugandha Sukumaran, DMO Dr K K Rajaram, HLL Deputy General Manager Shri. Reju Scaria, NRHM District Programme Manager P N Vidyadharan and District Collector Shri. V N Jithendran are expected to attend the inaugural function.
“Our vision is to provide affordable quality health service and products to everyone. Lifecare Centres are a key step in that direction,” said HLL Chairman and Managing Director Dr M Ayyappan.
Apart from the Lifecare centre to be opened at Pathanamthitta, Kerala already have  three Lifecare Centres and one in Odisha. The Lifecare Centre at the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College that started functioning in October 2011 was the first in this chain. The other two Lifecare centres are at the Vadakara General Hospital and the Thiruvananthapuram Regional Institute of Ophthalmology.
The surgical implants and other medical products are made available at the centres at discounts ranging from 10 to 60 percent.  For example the interlocking set which is used in the surgery of the thigh bone costs around Rs 7,000 in the market, but is priced at just Rs 2,200 at the Lifecare centre. Likewise, the AMP implant which is used in bipolar surgeries has a market price of Rs 4,000 but is available at the centre for Rs 1,700. In addition to subsidised services for the needy, the centre will also provide cashless services to RSBY card holders.
In view of private agencies charging different rates at different hospitals for surgical and ophthalmic equipment, the Lifecare Centre will help address the uncertainties and lack of proper systems in this sector. Through the Lifecare Centres, HLL aims to ensure standardisation and transparency in the marketing of these products and deliver them to the common man at reasonable prices.
The state Government has given its approval for opening Lifecare Centres at four other Government Medical Colleges in Kerala and at district and taluk hospitals. The goal is to make vital medical equipment and products accessible to patients depending on Government hospitals. With its mission of making quality healthcare and services available to all people, HLL Lifecare Limited is today a major player in the global health sector.