Kochi: The opposition Congress-led UDF has announced the formation of a health commission to investigate the serious lapses in the public health sector in Kerala and propose long-term solutions amid complaints of shortages of medicines and facilities in government-run hospitals in the state.

Public health expert Dr S S Lal is the chairman of the panel. Dr Lal has worked with International health bodies including the World Health Organization and various UN initiatives. He is the Asia-Pacific director of World Health Movement and a UN consultant. He is a former state president of the All India Professionals Congress. He had unsuccessfully contested the 2021 assembly elections from Kazhakuttam constituency.

The five-member panel will submit its preliminary report within three months and the final report in six months.

The panel will meet the public, employees of government hospitals, non-governmental healthcare professionals and experts in related fields and collect evidence as part of the study.

"The report will be a prelude to the alternative health policy to be proposed by the UDF. It will be the basis of the Kerala Health Vision 2050 the UDF is envisaging," the Congress said in a statement.

The commission members are:

1.  Dr Sreejith N Kumar, an advisor to the National Food Safety Authority; He has authored several books on lifestyle.

2. Prof Dr Rajan Joseph Manjooran, former principal of Pushpagiri Medical College, former national president of Cardiological Society of India, former vice principal and head of cardiology of Kottayam Medical College. 

3. Dr P N Ajitha, a Kozhikode-based gynaecologist. A councillor of Kozhikode Corporation, Ajitha serves as a consultant with Baby Memorial Hospital, Aster Mims, Meitra and Star Care.

5. Dr O T Muhammed Basheer, Civil surgeon (retd), Government Medical College, Kozhikode.

Protest in front of medical colleges
The Congress on Tuesday staged protest in front of all medical colleges in the state against the government's failure to address the shortage of staff, medicines and equipment in government hospitals.

AICC general secretary K C Venugopal inaugurated the state-wide protest in front of Pariyaram Medical College in Kannur. KPCC president Sunny Joseph chaired the protest meet. Opposition leader V D Satheesan inaugurated the protest meet in front of Ernakulam Medical College.