Thiruvananthapuram: Former health ministers from three LDF governments on Thursday stepped up their criticism of Health Minister K Muraleedharan over the spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) medicine controversy, alleging that he was unfit to hold the post.

Former ministers and CPM leaders P K Sreemathi, who served in the V S Achuthanandan government, K K Shailaja of the first Pinarayi Vijayan government and Veena George of the second Pinarayi government jointly addressed a press conference, accusing the UDF government of mishandling the state's healthcare sector.

They alleged that a shortage of medicines, which they claimed had not occurred during the previous 10 years of LDF rule, had emerged under the present government.

On the SMA medicine controversy, Sreemathi, a CPM central committee member, alleged that officials of a Hyderabad-based company had met the superintendent of the SIT Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram, who subsequently took them to meet Muraleedharan.

“The superintendent then took them to meet Muraleedharan. They then submitted a request to the minister,” Sreemathi said.

She alleged that approval was granted for the company's SMA medicine to be used in the state weeks after the meeting.

The former ministers, however, expressed concern that the medicine labelled “for clinical trial only” had been administered to patients. They alleged that the authorities took the medicine back only after the patients' relatives pointed out the label.
“There are strict procedures for the distribution of medicines. The incident is very wrong,” Sreemathi said.

Referring to the rules of the Kerala Medical Services Corporation, she said ministers were not authorised to purchase medicines or intervene directly in the procurement process. She said the principal secretary, health department, was responsible for issuing the order for medicines.

Citing the meeting between the company officials and Muraleedharan, Sreemathy alleged that the minister had violated the rules and was therefore unfit to continue in office.

“Muraleedharan is submissive to corporates and big companies,” she said.

Comparing the current situation with the previous 10 years of LDF rule under Pinarayi Vijayan, Sreemathi claimed that Kerala had not faced medicine shortages during that period. She accused the UDF government of creating problems in the state's healthcare sector.