CEO Lee Scott says Wal-Mart intends to open as many as 400 in-store health clinics over the next two to three years through contracts with local hospitals and other organizations. Scott says if current market forces continue, up to 2,000 clinics could be in Wal-Mart stores over the next five to seven years, Wal-Mart president and CEO Lee Scott announced the plan at the World Health Care Congress in Washington, D.C. Scott says the clinic program's expansion is just the latest in a series of moves by Wal-Mart to help implement customer solutions to America's health care crisis, including the $4 generic drug prescription program, health information technology and participation in a major coalition supporting comprehensive healthcare reform by 2012. "We think the clinics will be a great opportunity for our business. But most importantly, they are going to provide something our customers and communities desperately need - affordable access at the local level to quality health care," Scott says. Scott's speech at the World Health Care Congress is available at www.walmartfacts.com
