Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 22 Senior CPI(M) leaders on Thursday launched a scathing attack on Keralam Health Minister K Muraleedharan, alleging deterioration in the state’s public health sector and raising concerns over the distribution of medicines to children with SMA.
At a joint press conference here, CPI(M) central committee members P K Sreemathi and K K Shailaja, and state committee member Veena George, alleged that the health sector had been heading towards a serious crisis since the Congress-led UDF government assumed office.
All three leaders had served as health ministers in previous LDF governments.
Sreemathi alleged that problems in the health sector began after Muraleedharan took charge as health minister.
Accusing him of trivialising issues, she claimed that hospitals were facing shortages of medicines and doctors.
The press conference came amid a controversy over the distribution of low-cost, Indian-made medicines to children suffering from Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), a rare genetic disorder.
Photographs of Muraleedharan meeting representatives of a domestic pharmaceutical company at his office surfaced on Thursday, triggering further criticism.
After some television channels aired the photographs, the minister initially denied meeting any company representatives but later said he might have met several people at his office.
Questioning the distribution of medicines labelled “clinical trial only”, Sreemathi demanded an investigation into the meeting between the pharmaceutical company representatives and the minister.
She also alleged that Muraleedharan had forfeited his eligibility to continue as the health minister.
Patients were struggling to obtain life-saving medicines while the government was adopting an irresponsible approach, she alleged.
The distribution of medicines marked “clinical trial only” to children with SMA had caused serious concern, Sreemathy said, adding that such medicines were being administered to infants without adequate safety precautions despite strict standards governing clinical trials.
Shailaja said Keralam’s public health sector was facing a major decline and questioned the circumstances under which the minister’s office was encouraging pharmaceutical companies.
She said company representatives directly meeting the minister to discuss matters relating to medicines amounted to a serious breach of established practice.
George, meanwhile, alleged that the government had constituted a new task force in a manner that threatened the public health sector.
She claimed that the move was part of the Congress-led UDF government’s attempt to corporatise healthcare.
Responding to the allegations in Kozhikode, Muraleedharan dismissed the criticism by the former health ministers, saying they had done little during their years in office apart from damaging the health department.
Asking the three leaders to “rest peacefully”, he said the UDF would remain in power for five years.
(PTI News)
