New Delhi/Thiruvananthapuram, March 30 (IANS) Thiruvananthapuram-headquartered HLL Lifecare Limited has secured ISO 9001:2015 certification for its nationwide retail pharmacy operations, marking a significant step in standardising quality across its expanding public healthcare footprint.

The certification covers 239 centres across India, including AMRIT Pharmacies, AMRIT Opticals, HLL Pharmacy & Surgicals, and HLL Opticals.

The move is expected to enhance operational consistency, transparency, and patient trust in one of the country’s largest government-backed networks of affordable medicines.

The milestone comes in a landmark year for the Mini Ratna public sector enterprise under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, as it celebrates its Diamond Jubilee alongside a decade of its flagship AMRIT (Affordable Medicines and Reliable Implants for Treatment) initiative.

Launched in 2015 at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, the AMRIT programme has scaled rapidly into a pan-India network spanning 24 States and five Union Territories. The initiative has served over 72.96 million patients so far, underscoring its role in bridging affordability gaps in healthcare delivery.

According to official data, medicines worth Rs 18,817.42 crore (at maximum retail price) have been dispensed through the network, resulting in estimated savings of Rs 9,235.78 crore for patients.

By offering more than 6,500 medicines, implants, and consumables at discounts of up to 50 per cent, AMRIT has significantly reduced out-of-pocket expenditure, particularly for patients accessing treatment at major government hospitals.

The 10th anniversary of AMRIT, commemorated in New Delhi, was inaugurated by Union Health Minister J. P. Nadda. The event also marked the launch of new initiatives, including 10 additional AMRIT outlets, upgraded IT-enabled services (Ecogreen Version 2.0), and a 24×7 national call centre to improve accessibility and service delivery.

The ISO certification is seen as a critical enabler in HLL’s next phase of growth, aligning its retail operations with global quality benchmarks while reinforcing its core mandate of affordable access to healthcare.

With over six decades of experience, HLL continues to evolve as a diversified healthcare enterprise, leveraging scale, technology, and policy support to expand its reach and impact across India’s public health ecosystem.

–IANS

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