‘Improved access to basic medicines, food through organised retail setting is important for health’

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4 years ago

A pharmacist, Mr Taofik Odukoya, says improving access to every day basic medicines, food items and veterinary needs through organised retail centres has become imperative in the improvement of health and productivity.

Mr Odukoya, Chief Executive Officer, Vanguard Pharmacy Limited, who spoke at the opening of the group’s new shopping centre in Abeokuta, to create health benefits for busy individuals to meet their household needs, said shopping and price bargaining is time consuming and a form of mental stress for many Nigerians who have busy schedules.

According to him, the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the need for organised retail centres, where individuals also can quickly walk in or order their daily needs without the fear of being in open markets with a higher risk of getting exposed to infections.

Odukoya said organised retail centres, while bringing households need under a single roof, is a veritable way to also create job opportunities as well as generate tax for the government.

He declared: “Health is wealth. If they are not healthy, they cannot even think of creating employment, going to work or creating wealth in the nation. Also, shoppers’ wellness perspectives and behaviours are changing. This is playing out in their needs, attractive presentation of goods for easy identification and comfort to purchase.”

Earlier, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Vanguard Pharmacy Ltd, Mrs Kawthar Odukoya, said the group is scaling up its outlets to serve its customers even better.

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