Kannur: The State government has allocated over ₹10,000 crore through KIIFB alone to strengthen the health  and people will soon realise that the allegations aimed at discrediting Kerala’s healthcare system are part of a political conspiracy orchestrated by those influenced by corporate interests, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said. He was inaugurating the super specialty block at the Kannur district hospital.

The Chief Minister said that administrative sanction has been granted for 78 projects including general, district, and taluk hospitals, as well as cancer treatment centres worth ₹5,700 crore. In addition, 17 projects worth ₹ 3,200 crore have been sanctioned to enhance infrastructure at medical colleges. A further ₹450 crore has been allocated to 31 hospitals through NABARD.

During the last financial year alone, the government spent ₹1,498.50 crore on free healthcare services and ₹3,300 crore on distributing free medicines through the Medical Services Corporation. Nearly 42.5 lakh families are covered under the free healthcare programme, he added.

In her presidential address, Health Minister Veena George said that attempts to malign Kerala’s healthcare sector will fail. Speaker A N Shamseer and Minister Ramachandran Kadannappally were chief guests. Minister Kadannappally announced that the bystanders’ shelter, built using MLA funds, has been completed and will be inaugurated soon and that an ambulance with modern facilities will be allocated to the district hospital shortly.

District hospital superintendent M K Shaji presented the report.

District panchayat president K K Ratnakumari, vice-president Benoy Kurian, standing committee chairpersons NV Sreejini, U P Usha, V.K Suresh Babu and T Sarala, member Thomas Vakkathanam, collector Arun K Vijayan, Kannur Cantonment CEO Madhavi Bhragava, DMO Dr Piyush M Namboodiripad, NHM district programme manager Dr P K Anilkumar, district hospital deputy superintendent Dr Griffin Surendran, district panchayat secretary Tiny Susan John, BSNL executive engineer Sreeramakrishnan, and CPM district secretary K K Ragesh also spoke.

Complaint Over exclusion from dais
Meanwhile, a complaint was raised that representatives of various political parties were denied a place on the dais for security reasons during the inauguration. They were also not allowed to speak.

There were also complaints that even members of the hospital development committee were not permitted to address the gathering. It was alleged that the names of DCC president Martin George and Muslim League district president Abdul Kareem Chelery were included in the programme notice without their consent. Both stayed away from the function. The Muslim League boycotted the event.