LDF govt to draft new health policy for state

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The LDF government has constituted a 17-member panel headed by planning board member and former Kerala University vice-chancellor Dr B Ekbal to draft a fresh health policy for the state.

Incidentally, the draft health policy prepared by the previous UDF government is gathering dust in the shelves of the state health department. In 2013, the then health minister V S Sivakumar had appointed a committee headed by former director of medical education M Balaraman Nair to draft the policy. The report was prepared after a series of discussions, convened by the government.

Similarly, during the tenure of P K Sreemathy as health minister there was an attempt to draft a health policy. This was in the backdrop of an alarming spread of communicable diseases in the state between 2006 and 2010. However, despite the then chief minister V S Achuthanandan openly declaring in 2007 that his government would be coming out with a health policy, no committee was appointed then.

Now, the latest committee has been asked to submit the draft within two months.

The panel will have Dr K P Aravindan, scientist emeritus at the multi-disciplinary research unit at Kozhikode, as convener.

The other members are Dr PK Jameela, former director of health service; Uma Preman, social activist; P K Sasidharan, head of family medicine at Kozhikode Medical College; Dr V Ramankutty, professor at Achutamenon Centre for Public Health; Dr Rajmohan, for mer superintendent at SAT Hospital; Dr A K Jayasree, head of the community medicine department at Pariyaram Medical College; Dr V G Pradeep, Indian medical Association representative; Dr P K Mohanlal, former director of medical education (Ayurveda); Dr Asha Vijayan, health service representative; Dr R Jayaprakash of the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital; Dr C Sundareshan of the Thiruvananthapuram Homoeo Medical College; Dr Ramla Beevi, director of medical education; Dr R Ramesh, director of health service; Dr K Jamuna, homoeo director; and Dr Anitha Jacob, director, Indian System of Medicine.