Latest news with #KGMOA
The Hindu
28-05-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
Shortage of doctors hits Peravoor taluk hospital in Kannur; KGMOA stages protest
Severe shortage of doctors has hit the functioning of the Peravoor taluk hospital, prompting the Kerala Government Medical Officer's Association (KGMOA) to launch a protest demanding urgent intervention by the Health department in the matter. KGMOA district president V.S. Jidhin said the hospital, which has only 14 doctors including the superintendent, was grappling with three vacancies with one doctor on long leave and another assigned to a tribal mobile unit. The only gynaecologist is forced to work round the clock, and the services of the night emergency department have been suspended due to staff crunch. 'Ideally, five doctors are required daily to manage emergency services in a taluk hospital, but the Peravoor hospital now relies on just two. This has forced even specialists to take up emergency duties, disrupting the general outpatient services that cater for over 700 patients daily,' he said. The situation is expected to worsen with the onset of the monsoon as the hospital, the only major medical facility in the region, is currently unable to run general medicine, paediatric and fever clinics, he added. The KGMOA alleged that the situation got aggravated due to the redeployment of doctors attached to the hospital to non-health related duties, including the Kottiyoor festival, in violation of government directives. The association pointed out that two doctors were transferred out of the district recently, but there were no replacements for them. With over 80 vacancies of doctors reported across the district, the KGMOA said that arbitrary assignments and keeping vacancies unfilled hit both routine care and disease control during the monsoon season. The association demanded immediate filling of vacancies.
New Indian Express
08-05-2025
- Health
- New Indian Express
Experts push for rabies vaccine in children before dog bites
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Administering the rabies vaccine before a dog bite may seem unusual to many parents. However, a rise in rabies infections among children has prompted health experts to recommend pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for all children under the age of 14 before any animal attack occurs. The Indian Academy of Pediatrics (IAP) and the Kerala Government Medical Officers Association (KGMOA) have jointly called for the inclusion of PrEP in child healthcare protocols. Providing general immunity against rabies not only helps prevent deaths but also reduces the need for expensive rabies immunoglobulin (RIG), which is administered in addition to the standard post-bite vaccine. While previously seen as an excessive measure, the surge in rabies cases and the high cost of post-exposure treatment have made PrEP a necessary intervention. Dog bite cases in Kerala have seen a dramatic rise - from 60,000 in 2013 to over 3.16 lakh in 2024. Human fatalities have also increased, with 14 rabies deaths reported so far this year, and an annual toll of 20-25 deaths in recent years. Children remain the most affected. Globally, rabies claims around 59,000 lives annually, with 18,000-20,000 of those in India. Of these, nearly 40% are children. 'Children are most vulnerable. Many have died even after receiving the vaccine post-bite due to the challenging nature of the bites,' said Dr Riaz I, president of the IAP Kerala Chapter. 'We recommend PrEP for school-going children to prevent such tragedies.' Dr Riaz also pointed out the difficulty of administering rabies serum in sensitive bite locations like eyes, underlining the advantage of pre-exposure vaccination. The KGMOA has urged the state to form a task force to implement a universal PrEP programme, starting with children. 'Over 35% of dog bite victims are children. We must prioritise them,' said Dr Sunil P K, KGMOA president.
Time of India
06-05-2025
- Health
- Time of India
KGMOA calls for universal rabies vax rollout
Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Govt Medical Officers Association ( KGMOA ) has urged the state govt to launch and institutionalize a universal pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) rabies vaccination programme, particularly targeting children and other high-risk groups."The rising number of rabies-related deaths in Kerala has emerged as a serious public health challenge, underscoring the urgent need for proactive, preventive strategies," said Dr Sunil PK, state president of KGMOA, in a statement issued on Tuesday. "The association is calling for the initiation and institutionalization of a universal PrEP rabies vaccination programme to address this challenge."While Kerala has made significant progress in rabies control—through mass dog vaccination drives, increased public awareness, and widespread availability of post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP)—KGMOA pointed out that achieving zero rabies deaths will require a preventive approach, including pre-exposure association called on the govt to prioritize children in the first phase of PrEP rollout, noting that they make up over 35% of dog bite victims. "Children are less likely to report bites or perform proper wound care," said Dr Jobin G Joseph, state secretary of immediate statewide implementation is not feasible due to financial or logistical constraints, the association recommends starting with the most vulnerable populations, particularly children in high-risk areas with limited access to also urged the govt to form a task force of experts to design a phased PrEP implementation plan, with a clear roadmap toward universal coverage. The other recommendations include extending PrEP coverage to other high-risk groups such as healthcare workers, veterinary staff, wildlife personnel, sanitation workers, and others with frequent or occupational exposure to association said PrEP should be closely integrated with existing rabies control measures, which include timely administration of PEP, sustained dog vaccination, and ongoing public education campaigns. It called on the govt to advocate for the inclusion of rabies PrEP in the national immunisation programme for regions where the disease remains endemic.
The Hindu
06-05-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
Implement pre-exposure prophylaxis programme in State to prevent rabies death: KGMOA
The Kerala Government Medical Officers' Association (KGMOA) has demanded that a pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) programme be rolled out in the wake of an increase in rabies deaths in the State. The KGMOA said on Tuesday that once a person developed symptoms of rabies, it was 100% fatal. Of the 59,000 lives lost to rabies globally, nearly 20,000 were in India. Of them, nearly 40% were children. In Kerala, though the number of rabies deaths had declined to 20-25 a year, there was a need to adopt a sustainable prevention model, it said. If a person who had taken PrEP vaccine sustained an animal bite, they would have to take only two booster shots. There would be no need to administer the expensive and at times difficult to obtain immunoglobulin serum, the KGMOA said in a statement. Among children The association recommended that the PrEP programme be launched among children first. Children were unlikely to communicate the details of the bite or look after the wounds properly. They were especially vulnerable if the bites were on the face or hands, it said. A task force comprising experts should be formed to draw up a programme to administer PrEP in phases to cover the State's entire population. Stray dog menace After children, health workers, veterinary officers, forest officers, sanitation workers, and others who were at high risk should be given the PrEP vaccination. Effective steps should be taken to control the stray dog menace. Besides administering PrEP at proper times, vaccinating dogs, and holding continuous public awareness programmes should be integrated with the current anti-rabies programme. Efforts should also be made to include PrEP in the universal immunisation programme. A pre-exposure vaccination programme will create another Kerala model and help the State achieve the global goal of eliminating all rabies deaths by 2030 even earlier, the KGMOA said.
Time of India
25-04-2025
- Health
- Time of India
KGMOA threatens to boycott Hajj duties over demand for removal of health official
Kochi: The district unit of the Kerala Govt Medical Officers' Association (KGMOA) has announced that the doctors under the association would boycott Hajj duties if the govt failed to remove district programme manager (DPM) of National Health Mission Dr Sivaprasad from his post. A statement issued by the association on Friday said that it would boycott Hajj duties, including vaccination, which could disrupt the pilgrimage through Kochi as pilgrims cannot proceed without the vaccination. District president of the association Dr T Sudhakar and secretary Dr Karthik Balachandran said in a statement that govt's dismissive attitude towards the complaint against Sivaprasad was unacceptable. "The protest is brewing among the doctors against the lack of proper action on complaints about Shivaprasad's derogatory behaviour towards female doctors and defamatory campaigns on social media. Since March 7, 2025, doctors under KGMOA were in complete non-cooperation, refusing any additional responsibilities beyond patient care in hospitals. Despite the disruption in health services, govt and health department continue to protect Shivaprasad without removing him from the DPM position. Authorities are taking double standards by ignoring the complaints of doctors who tirelessly work for public health. Doctors under their leadership will not take on any additional duties until Dr Shivaprasad is removed from his position," the release said.
