After 26 years of medical service in Attappady, Dr Prebhudas was shunted out of the tribal area in Kerala's Palakkad district on Friday. The state health department shifted him from the post of the superintendent of the Government Tribal Speciality Hospital, Kottathara and the nodal officer for tribal health, Attappady citing technical reasons. However, from the series of events that unfolded recently, it is evident that the real reason for his transfer is something else.
Action against Dr Prebhudas, who is popular among a large section of tribespeople of Attappady, was imminent after the tension between him and the local CPM leadership escalated into a conflict, involving the Health Minister Veena George, amid the controversy over the recent infant deaths among the tribal population.
On December 4, the minister made a surprise visit to the Kottathara hospital even as Dr Prebhudas was called to Thiruvananthapuram for a top-level meeting which, the doctor claims, was not scheduled.
Irked, Prebhudas went on record questioning the rationale behind keeping him away when the minister visited the hospital. Charges and counter-charges followed with the doctor and the local CPM leadership accusing each other of corruption. In this interview, recorded before he was transferred, Prebhudas reiterated his charges against the local CPM leadership and the Hospital Management Committee. His bigger charge, however, is that unlike her predecessors Veena George has not been following up on Attappady's health concerns promptly. Edited excerpts:
Attappady's health issues, including infant deaths, keep resurfacing. Why are you and the Kottathara hospital at the centre of the controversy now?
Similar issues were there earlier also. The latest issue, however, is different. On December 1, a review meeting to discuss issues of Attappady was held. The health minister also attended it. I was invited to the meeting by the project officer of the Integrated Tribal Development Project with a zoom link. The health secretary was also there at the meet. I was asked certain questions and I placed our requirements at the meet. The health secretary then told me I should go to a meeting in Thiruvananthapuram on December 4 in which the minister will be present. On December 2 evening I went to Parippally in Kollam, my native place. I planned to go to Thiruvananthapuram from my home on December 4 and return to Attappady after the meeting. On December 3, I called the director of health services (DHS) to inquire about the meeting. The DHS disconnected my call and did not speak. Then I called another officer with an additional charge. He said he was going to attend a function. Then I called the health secretary's office. They didn't know anything about the meeting. I also called a few people in the DHS. They were also unaware of the meeting. Anyway, when I was about to start for Thiruvananthapuram from my home, media people from Attappady called me and said the health minister was there. I was shocked. I came to Palakkad by 6 in the evening. By then the minister's team had gone back.
The minister who came to inquire about infant deaths went straight to a ward on the fourth floor where we had kept some newly bought furniture. Two members of the Hospital Management Committee (HMC) also accompanied the minister. What I understand is that they had misdirected the minister. I had told them several times that the furniture was purchased through proper tender procedures and I had all the papers. They were bought from Hudco, a government agency. The ward was inaugurated at the last stretch of the previous government in March when some buildings were inaugurated in a haste. It is on the fourth floor and at that time itself, I had said that it would not be able to run the ward immediately as there is only a staircase to reach there. Such a facility needs either ramp or lift. If a patient collapses, we can't take her through the stairs. Hence the ward could not be used at that time and the furniture remained unused. Two months after it was inaugurated, Covid struck. Then we had to open a Covid ICU and the equipment (purchased for the ward) were used for that. The pharmacists and head nurses who worked at the hospital at that time have changed. The new people don't know where the furniture has been shifted to. The minister asked the new nurses (about the furniture) and they did not have a proper answer. Then the minister said there would be an inquiry into it and a TV channel reported it. If I were there I would have given proper explanations. I'm also the tribal health nodal officer, who is answerable to the government. Then why was I kept away in the name of a meeting that was not scheduled? I don't understand. I should have been informed about the visit from the minister's office as well as the (health) directorate. I was supposed to explain the reasons for the infant deaths.
Those who raise the allegations keep misleading the minister. The infant mortality rate in the area would have been much higher if the hospital did not function well. Over 60 deliveries take place in the hospital in a month. Patients are referred to other hospitals only for services that are not available here. The two HMC members, who are supposed to stand by us for running the facility well, try to defame it and mislead the minister for political interests.
Do you think the minister's visit and the unscheduled meeting in Thiruvananthapuram were part of an orchestrated drama?
I don't know. It all looks like a drama. All the officials who attended the zoom meet had heard about the meeting in Thiruvananthapuram. But there was no meeting like that. I decided to go to Thiruvananthapuram to submit all the required documents to the health secretary's office, but then the minister and the officials were here.
Did the minister speak to you after the episode?
No. After the incident, nobody contacted me to know about the issues here or the requirements of the hospital. The next day there was a function to inaugurate the ambulance given by the MP (V K Sreekandan). After the event, the media asked me about the minister's surprise visit. I told them I didn't know the reason. However, I said the minister had to be here before the Leader of the Opposition's scheduled visit. I had nothing against the minister's visit but my only concern is that the department should have informed me about it. I'm afraid my statement was misconstrued. If the minister was hurt by my comment I'm ready to apologise. I never expected it to be controversial.
Did the minister call you when reports of infant deaths came out recently?
There was nothing like that. We used to submit reports and they made their way through the hierarchy. The previous ministers' offices used to contact me whenever an issue was reported. Now it has stopped.
What do you remember about the minister's previous visit to Attappady?
She was very happy at that time and she had told us that she would stay here for a couple of days next time. He said she wanted to attend our camps and do some field visits. The HMC member who raises allegations now was not on the committee at that time.
What is the role of the local political leaders in the latest row?
Local party leaders have been continuously misleading the minister. The previous and the current block panchayat administrations have supported us fully to run the hospital based on the LDF government's policies. We have utilised the funds fully. The hospital was adjudged the best institution in Kerala by the central government as a result of our hard work. Instead of supporting us to improve its standards, the people who belong to the ruling party are trying to defame the hospital. Ultimately it would cause damage to the government only.
How did your equation with the HMC change?
The current committee wants to probe every purchase, even if it's a pen. The canteen committee is purchasing items like fish and meat. They keep a proper account of it and it is signed by the HMC also. It is good to probe the accounts but it should not go to the extent of harassment. They can have any agency like Vigilance or special branch to conduct the inquiry and take action against the erring people if any.
Did you face harassment from HMC members?
The two HMC members, whom I mentioned earlier, had even tried to slap me at my office when I was on duty. Had I complained against them, they would have been in jail.
Why has the CPM come out openly against you?
The local CPM leadership has always been against me. However, previous health ministers like Sreemathi Teacher or Shailaja Teacher did not entertain them. Even when the local leadership made allegations against me, they used to find the truth. They even used to correct the local leadership and supported us. The current minister is not like that. She is mistaken I believe. I'm not clear about her stance, maybe because she is new. I don't see any inquiry from the health minister's office as I used to during the previous regimes. Somebody from the health minister's office, perhaps even the minister, used to call us earlier.
From your experience, what are the reasons for the health crisis of Attappady's tribal population?
The infant mortality rate among the tribes here is 33 while it is six at the state level. Among the settlers of Attappady it is only two. Tribes alone face certain issues. A proper study by a top agency like WHO or UNICEF has to be done about it and long-term solutions have to be found based on that.
One major reason for the poor health is that proper food is not available for the tribespeople. The tribal hamlets should have their dairy farms, fish farms etc. It should be ensured that all of them get the required nutrients.
CPM's charges
CPM area committee secretary C P Babu has made pointed charges against the doctor and some of his close friends. The DYFI, the youth wing of the CPM, had demanded a probe into the alleged mismanagement of the hospital in a letter written to the chief minister and the health minister back in July.
The Agali Block Panchayat, under which falls the hospital, had also demanded a Vigilance inquiry into the misappropriation of funds in the hospital.
The charges made by the CPM against Prebhudas include massive corruption in the purchases for canteen and paying Rs 45 lakh per year to ambulances in a private hospital even though Kottathara hospital has nine. He is also accused of purchasing furniture worth Rs 32 lakh without following tender norms. The doctor also helped his close accomplice gain profits under the cover of computerisation, the CPM leader said. Another serious charge is that he duped the Adivasis using their health insurance cards.
