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Time of India
6 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.
United News of India
04-05-2025
- Business
- United News of India
Kerala CM inaugurates beach tourism project
Kannur, May 4 (UNI) Tourists invariably merit a dignified treatment from the local community amid the government's string of projects for further strengthening the travel and hospitality industry in the state, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Sunday. The Chief Minister was speaking while inaugurating the first phase of the Muzhappilangad-Dharmadam Comprehensive Beach Tourism Development project. Tourism and Public Works Minister PA Mohamed Riyas presided over the function at Muzhappilangad, which had Member of Parliament, Dr V. Sivadasan as the chief guest. 'Travellers are our dignified guests. We should welcome them warmly and engage them meaningfully so that they spread their good experience back in their lands, and feel like returning to our state,' the Chief Minister said. Terming the completion of the first of the three-stage KIIFB-funded project as a 'milestone' in the state's advances in tourism, he said the government had ensured that these strides went well with the spirit of eco-conservation and sustainability. For instance, Dharmadam Island, whose development is part of the project, will give shelter to the seasonal migratory birds from other parts of the world, Vijayan said. 'We are going ahead with the completion of the entire project. A blueprint of its future plans is getting ready. The whole project will get over in a time-bound way,' he said. Riyas said the completion of the first phase of the Muzhappilangad-Dharmadam Beach project was yet another instance of the state's determination to promote travel and hospitality in the post-Covid era. 'Tourism is not just about people visiting places. The recreational activities in the destinations also boost local economies and cultures along with the whole society,' he pointed out. 'This 4.5-km drive-in beach, which is the only one of its kind in our country, gets a facelift at a time when mid-summer holidays typically boost tourism in the state.' Marking a new chapter in north Kerala's tourism, the project, funded by Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB), is executed by the Kerala Irrigation Infrastructure Development Corporation as a Special Purpose Vehicle. The 'Comprehensive Development of Muzhappilangad-Dharmadam Beach' project of KIIFB has an administrative approval of Rs 233.71 crore, revealed Kerala Tourism Director Ms Sikha Surendan in her welcome address. The first phase has been completed at a cost of Rs 79.51 crore, she added. KIIDC CEO S. Thilakan presented the project report while Girish Kumar D, Joint Director – Tourism proposed the Vote of Thanks. With focus on four-character areas, the beach project has three parts: Muzhappilangad Beach, Dharmadam Beach and Dharmadam Island. A new walkway, completed now, can facilitate drive-in activities along its 1.2-km stretch on the northern side of Muzhappilangad Beach. For walking, concrete slabs have been piled up above the seashore, with additional recreational activities. A wide walkway, a children's playground, toilets, kiosks, decorative lights, shade structures, sculptures, a gazebo and landscaping are also part of the project. The placid Dharmadam Island, surrounded by rivers on three sides and the Arabian sea on the other, offers a picture-perfect view of the confluence of Anjarakandy and Thalassery rivers. Muzhappilangad beach which is Asia's longest drive-in beach, lies parallel to NH-66 between Thalassery and Kannur, offers a variety of family-focused activities at the seaside, making it a favourite destination for domestic as well as foreign tourists. UNI DS GNK
United News of India
04-05-2025
- Business
- United News of India
CM Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurates first phase of Beach Tourism project in Kannur
Kannur, May 4 (UNI) Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan today inaugurated the first phase of the Muzhappilangad-Dharmadam Comprehensive Beach Tourism Development project in Kannur district, a 4.5 km drive-in beach, the only one of its kind in the country. Speaking on the occasion, at Muzhappilangad, the CM said: 'Travellers are our dignified guests. We should welcome them warmly and engage them meaningfully so that they spread their good experience back in their lands, and feel like returning to our state.' He also termed the completion of the first of the three-stage KIIFB-funded project as a 'milestone' in the state's advances in tourism, and said the government had ensured that these strides went well with the spirit of eco-conservation and sustainability. For instance, Dharmadam Island, whose development is part of the project, will give shelter to the seasonal migratory birds from other parts of the world, Vijayan said. He also said 'We are going ahead with the completion of the entire project. A blueprint of its future plans is getting ready. The whole project will get over in a time-bound way.' Tourism and Public Works Department (PWD) Minister PA Muhammed Riyas said completion of the first phase of the Muzhappilangad-Dharmadam Beach project was yet another instance of the state's determination to promote travel and hospitality in the post-Covid era. Minister Riyaz said 'Tourism is not just about people visiting places. The recreational activities in the destinations also boost local economies and cultures along with the whole society. 'This 4.5-km drive-in beach, which is the only one of its kind in our country, is getting a facelift at a time when mid-summer holidays typically boost tourism in the state.' He added that marking a new chapter in north Kerala's tourism, the project, funded by Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB), is executed by the Kerala Irrigation Infrastructure Development Corporation as a Special Purpose Vehicle. Kerala Tourism Director Sikha Surendran said in her welcome address: "The 'Comprehensive Development of Muzhappilangad-Dharmadam Beach' project of KIIFB has an administrative approval of Rs 233.71 crore. The first phase has been completed at a cost of Rs 79.51 crore." With focus on four-character areas, the beach project has three parts: Muzhappilangad Beach, Dharmadam Beach and Dharmadam Island. A new walkway, completed now, can facilitate drive-in activities along its 1.2-km stretch on the northern side of Muzhappilangad Beach. For walking, concrete slabs have been piled up above the seashore, with additional recreational activities. A wide walkway, a children's playground, toilets, kiosks, decorative lights, shade structures, sculptures, a gazebo and landscaping are also part of the project. The placid Dharmadam Island, surrounded by rivers on three sides and the Arabian sea on the other, offers a picture-perfect view of the confluence of Anjarakandy and Thalassery rivers. Muzhappilangad beach, which is Asia's longest drive-in beach, lies parallel to NH-66 between Thalassery and Kannur, offers a variety of family-focused activities at the seaside, making it a favourite destination for domestic as well as foreign tourists. UNI AK RN
