Kerala Assembly: Opposition stages walkout over worrying state of public health

UDF Opposition walkout in Kerala Assembly, criticising government's failure in public health priorities and disease prevention measures.

The United Democratic Front (UDF) Opposition staged a walkout in the Kerala Legislative Assembly on July 2 accusing the government of “total failure” in making public health a priority and taking no coordinated action on the ground to ensure that preventive and control measures against infectious diseases were on course to prevent a surge in diseases.

Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan, who led the walkout, was scathing in his criticism that the sole focus of the government was on “public relations exercises” to maintain the narrative that Kerala had won several awards and that Kerala was “number one” when it came to health. However, the reality was quite different, he said, reeling off the figures of dengue, leptospirosis and Hepatitis A cases and deaths that had been reported in 2024 so far.

He said the pre-monsoon cleaning activities had totally failed this year. Of the ₹12-crore Plan funds that had been set aside for control of communicable diseases, the Kerala government had managed to spend just 0.08% of it, he pointed out.

Earlier, Speaker A.N. Shamseer denied the leave for an adjournment motion moved by Kondotty MLA T.V. Ibrahim to discuss the alarming situation in the State because of the steady rise in infectious diseases and the multiple clusters of Hepatitis A cases in Malappuram district.

Mr. Ibrahim accused Health Minister Veena George of taking the situation “very lightly” and contending herself that “everything can be set right by issuing directives from the top.”

Ms. George said that climate change, increased environmental temperatures and urbanisation had made Kerala more epidemiologically vulnerable to infectious diseases. She denied the allegations that pre-monsoon cleaning and sanitation drives had not been initiated sufficiently early this year. Going by the data of infectious diseases over the years, there was no marked spike in cases this year, Ms. George said.

As for Hepatitis A outbreaks in Malappuram, all control measures had been launched and clear directives issued to people on the precautions that needed to be taken. The situation was well within control and there were no in-patients in hospitals with Hepatitis A in Malappuram at present, she claimed.