Minister for Cooperation Ko.Si. Mani on Monday inaugurated in Besant Nagar an air-conditioned medical shop run by Kamadhenu Cooperative Super Market on behalf of the Triplicane Urban Cooperative Society.
Later speaking to the journalists, Mr. Mani said the objective of inaugurating medical shops was to provide medicines to the poor at affordable costs. Under the Triplicane Society the shops would be operated by the Kamadhenu in R.A. Puram, Royapettah, Teynampet, Ashok Nagar and Kilpauk.
In the city and its suburbs a total of 14 medical shops by the Cooperative Department have started functioning from Monday, he said. The Kancheepuram Cooperative Society would run similar medical shops in Tambaram, Pammal, Porur, Sembakkam and Madipakkam. The Park Town Cooperative Society would run shops in Anna Nagar, Tirumangalam and Padi. The medical shop in Teynampet would be open for 24 hours and in other places it would function between 9 a.m. and 10 p.m., he said.
Unlike the other medical shops, the ones run by the Cooperative Department would provide 15 per cent discount below the maximum retail price, said Swaran Singh, Principal Secretary, Cooperation, Food and Consumer Protection Department.
He said all over the State a total of 50 shops would be inaugurated soon.
Depending upon the response from the people, the Government would start more medical shops in the State, Mr. Swaran Singh added.
