Shiril Balakrishnan, the socially- conscious businessman, works out of his office located in the neighborhood of the Ashtamsa Varada Anjaneyar temple in Peelamedu, and he is always ready to open a new Jan Aushadhi outlet, to serve the people of the nation, with low-cost generic medicines.
Shiril Balakrishnan, the socially- conscious businessman, works out of his office located in the neighborhood of the Ashtamsa Varada Anjaneyar temple in Peelamedu, and he is always ready to open a new Jan Aushadhi outlet, to serve the people of the nation, with low-cost generic medicines.
The EVS group of companies managed by Shiril run a number of nonprofit pharmacies selling generic drugs under the popular “Jan Aushadhi " programme in the city.
“As we are all aware of the fact that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Government are behind the promotion of these Jan Aushadhi drug outlets in the interest of the poor. The generic drugs are made available at a really low price and this is a big boon for the people”. Shiril Balakrishnan said.
“I come from a family of landowners and did my BA Economics at the P.S.G College of Arts and Science in Coimbatore. Later on, I worked for some time in Pune before taking up business. We are franchisees for Parle Agro and are also into real estate in the Coimbatore region. Now our EVS group of companies are keen to take the Jan Aushadhi concept in a big way by opening about 1000 outlets in the next 3 years, “stated a confident Shiril.
The first outlet of Jan Aushadhi in this region was inaugurated by P.R.Krishnakumar of Arya Vaidya Pharmacy, Coimbatore. Jan Aushadhi offers medicines at low prices.
Shiril further shared about the concept of low cost, but high-quality medicines offered by these medical shops “In spite of the several social welfare initiatives and other things, drugs are out of reach for the common man and they suffer because of the costs. Many of the poor watch their family members going down because of the cost of medicines. Now nearly 700 generic drugs are available through the Jan Aushadhi outlets and it’s a pleasure to see the joy in the eyes of the people when they purchase in our outlets. The medicines are really cheap, for example, Glimepiride is priced at just Rs.2.69 per 10 tablets but the outside price is several times over. We have medicines for all ailments and we plan to do home delivery too".
"Eventually, a mobile store will be the order of the day. All Government related health campaigns like the dispensing of polio vaccine will be done in the Jan Aushadhi outlets. The Pradhan Mantri Jan Aushadhi Yojana is active for the last 3 years and it is being implemented across the country at a frenetic pace." Shiril said.
Shiril was primarily inspired because this happens to be a business cum service and he wants to offer free medicines for the poor as part of Corporate Social Responsibility. All the generic unbranded medicines which are identical to the branded ones are sold here. They are guaranteed the same efficacy.
The stores are equipped with a software which is unique to the nature of the business. Now Shiril has 30 outlets going and will open another 15 in a matter of 15 days. He has proposed to open low-cost multi-specialty clinics for the poor all over Coimbatore. The clinics will be known as "EVS Clinics".
“We want to be long-term players in the medical field and have plans to build a 500 bed super specialty hospital at the Madukkarai Panchayat in Coimbatore on a 10-acre plot. The cost of the project will be Rs.400 plus crores and we will have both the poor and premium sections within. The premium section will subsidize the costs for the poor. New techniques will be used for dispensing expensive drugs and this will help in reducing the cost of treatment while also preventing wastage" Shiril told Simplicity about his future plans.
“A big Jan Aushadhi pharmacy will be accommodated within the hospital and a nursing institution will be attached to the infrastructure. A full-fledged sewage treatment plant, proper methods for disposal of medical wastes and the best practices will be followed. Our idea is to bring down costs and this will help every sector of the society. The location is a gateway to both the states, Kerala and Tamilnadu. Our activities will be administered from Coimbatore, “said a smiling Shiril.
The young entrepreneur is married to Deepa and his parents Balakrishnan and Sheeba live in Kerala. Shiril has drawn out a master plan for the venture and hopes to have it ready in less than 3 years. He is really confident and appreciative of Coimbatore all the time.
“Coimbatore has an eco-system which contains a number of good qualities which nurtures business. It’s known for socially conscious business people who have an eye for service and charity at the time of growth and prosperity. I wish to grow from Coimbatore while trying to do my bit for the society through the field of medicine," stated an inspired Shiril Balakrishnan.