The Kerala Health Ministry and Co-Operation Ministry officials will be holding a meeting soon to discuss the possibilities of starting more consumer co-operative medical shops in the State. The Apex level Kerala Co-Operative Consumer Federation is chalking out plans for the pharmacies.

According to sources, the Kerala Legislative Assembly's subject committee, comprising representatives from Kerala's Health, Home, Co- operative and Civil Supplies Ministry had submitted a proposal to the government seeking more number of co-operative pharmacies in the State. The government had agreed for the proposal and meeting to discuss the places where it would be set up.

Sources said that the subject committee took this decision as the AKCDA was still curtailing the distribution of medicines to the Neethi and other co-operative stores in Kerala. The AKCDA had allegedly stopped the distributors from supplying medicines to the co-operative pharmacies.

"The main reason behind the decision of starting more co-operative medical shops is the medicine distribution problem that is persisting here. The organization which is doing this has heaped crore of rupees. This is a very bad thing that they are resorting to. The government has decided to take action and this time it will be a stern one," G Sudhakaran, Kerala Co-operation minister told Pharmabiz.

The Government of Kerala has decided to prepare a blacklist in which the name of distributors who don't provide medicines to the co-operative stores would be included. A detailed probe into the alleged atrocities of the AKCDA is also being planned. "Similar issues are happening in some other States also, but the administrative powers there have been ignoring the issue. Even in Kerala if the co-operative store issue had not cropped up, the government would not have decided to take action," said V S Sunil Kumar MLA.

The investment for the pharmacies would be taken up by the co-operative society itself, as they would run the pharmacies. "Only the proper planning remains to be done. The investment and other factors will be taken care of by the co-operative society's itself .The government has decided to the support this endeavour fully to make the co-operative pharmacies survive amidst assaults from organizations such as AKCDA," said other sources.