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Time of India
7 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
State's health system ‘cracking at every joint', says UDF report
T'puram: Kerala's vaunted "people-centred" health system is "cracking at every joint", warns a report submitted by the UDF health sub-committee chaired by senior IUML leader M K Muneer and consisting of representatives from all UDF constituents. The 23-page document billed as an effort to "reinvent the real Kerala model" accuses the state govt of presiding over a cascade of drug shortages, failed missions and stalled upgrades that left ordinary patients footing private bills for everything from sutures to MRI scans. The report says the flagship Aardram Mission, launched in 2016 to convert 846 primary health centres into family health centres, "plateaued after phase one" only 170 PHCs were upgraded, most without the promised extra nurses, pharmacists, or lab staff. Evening OP hours attract only token footfall, while the PHC reclassification drained the workforce from taluk and district hospitals, leaving them understaffed and overburdened. These secondary facilities, the report notes, still operate with a 1964-era staffing pattern. The tertiary sector too, the report says, is "building-rich and staff-poor". Several KIIFB-funded hospital blocks are lying unused due to the absence of sanctioned doctors, nurses or technicians. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like This Could Be the Best Time to Trade Gold in 5 Years IC Markets Learn More Undo Cath labs installed in district hospitals with the intent of reducing the load on medical college hospitals remain idle or function only in limited shifts. Drug procurement once considered a Kerala success story is now in disarray. The state-run Kerala medical services corporation Ltd (KMSCL) owes pharmaceutical companies Rs 695cr, prompting firms to cut deliveries by more than half. Kozhikode medical college alone has Rs 90cr pending, while the govt owes hospital development societies Rs 240cr in reimbursements. At Thiruvananthapuram medical college, patients wait over six months for MRI or CT scans as machines remain defunct for most of the week. Meanwhile, a vigilance probe into nepotism and irregular appointments at SAT Hospital has dragged on for two years without conclusion. The report recounts an incident where a caesarean section was performed under mobile torchlight due to a power outage, calling it symbolic of how far the system has fallen. S chemes once flagged as Kerala's health innovations now lie in tatters. The Hridyam programme for paediatric heart surgery and Aarogya Kiranam, which guarantees free treatment to children under 18, have both been crippled by fund shortages. The cochlear implant scheme Shruthi Tharangam, which helped over 630 children during the UDF era, has virtually stalled, leaving broken processors unrepaired for years. Even as lifestyle diseases rise and non-communicable conditions take hold of a growing population, a large-scale NCD screening programme initiated with great fanfare has fizzled out after baseline surveys. The committee warns that dengue, rabies, H1N1 and new outbreaks like Nipah are testing the state's threadbare vector control system. Post-Covid, most PHCs have pivoted entirely to curative functions, with prevention now reduced to slogans. Emergency care is no better. Ambulance crashes rose to 193 in 2022, with 130 deaths over four years. Marginalized groups have been left behind. Despite Kerala preparing a transgender policy in 2014, no medical college has gender clinics or surgery infrastructure. Tribal areas suffer shockingly high infant mortality and birth-weight deficits Attapadi's average newborn weight is 1.5kg compared to the state's 2.8kg. Endosulfan victims in Kasaragod, officially listed at 6,727, still lack specialist care and rely on neighbouring Karnataka for treatment. The committee urges the govt to clear all dues to drug suppliers, fix accountability for failed schemes, immediately operationalise unused facilities and restore core public health functions like surveillance and disease prevention. "The myth of an unassailable Kerala model is over," the report concludes.
Time of India
29-06-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Opposition leader VD Satheesan slams Kerala govt over allegations raised by Thiruvananthapuram MCH doctor
Kochi: Opposition leader VD Satheesan on Sunday said that the allegations raised by Dr Haris Chirakkal, the head of the urology department at the Thiruvananthapuram MCH, echoed the issues repeatedly raised by the opposition. There are medical colleges in Kerala that lack even the thread needed for stitching after surgery, Satheesan said. "Govt hospitals are without medicines and surgical equipment. The doctor stated that they are tired of begging. Ordinary patients are forced to borrow money to visit govt hospitals. Patients themselves have to bring surgical equipment. Many surgeries were halted. This is the condition in all medical colleges in Kerala," Satheesan said. Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala also raised the issue. He criticized the govt for its failure to ensure proper facilities in the hospitals. Satheesan said that schemes like Karunya Health Security Scheme, Arogya Kiran and Hridyam have been stopped. "Medicines are unavailable due to Kerala Medical Services Corporation accumulating debts. As a result of unpaid debts, medicine distribution companies increased prices by up to 30%. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Esse novo alarme com câmera é quase gratuito em Timburi (consulte o preço) Alarmes Undo Many companies stopped supplying medicines and surgical equipment. The narrative and propaganda run by this govt through PR agencies do not reflect the situation on the ground. The real health system of Kerala collapsed. When it was alleged that deaths were covered up during the Covid-19 pandemic period, the health minister responded stating that deaths due to falling jackfruit were not included in the Covid-19 death toll. Subsequently, 27,000 Covid-19 deaths hidden by the govt were revealed. Now, the health department itself needs treatment," he said. A health commission appointed by the UDF to study the health sector in Kerala will be operational from Monday, Satheesan said. A health conclave will also be held in July. A report will be submitted to the govt afterwards. "The poorest of the poor have to go to govt hospitals with medicines and thread. What are the priorities of this govt? To show progress, the minister compares statistics from 15 years ago. Everyone is afraid to speak out," Satheesan said.
