Health Minister K Muraleedharan on Sunday hit back at Opposition Leader Pinarayi Vijayan over his allegation that the UDF government is handing Kerala's public healthcare sector over to private players. Countering the charge, Muraleedharan accused the previous LDF government of damaging the sector during its 10-year tenure and said people had not voted the UDF to power to continue its practices.

The remarks came a day after Pinarayi accused the UDF government of deliberately helping the "private healthcare lobby" by systematically undermining the credibility of the state's public health sector. Pinarayi had alleged that the government's negligence was putting the lives of ordinary people at risk, with even life-saving medicines running low in hospitals. He claimed this was pushing people towards private hospitals while public hospitals were being reduced to "showpieces".

Responding to the allegations, Muraleedharan accused the LDF government of damaging the public healthcare sector during its 10-year tenure. He said the UDF government had inherited a debt of ₹2,575 crore in the Health Department, while the Kerala Medical Services Corporation Limited (KMSCL) had liabilities of ₹900 crore for medicines purchased.

On the availability of medicines, he said KMSCL currently had more medicines in stock than during the corresponding period last year. He also questioned the quality of medicines purchased through the Medical Services Corporation in the past, asking how many had been found to be substandard by the Drugs Control Department.

Muraleedharan further alleged that ₹19.5 lakh from funds meant for purchasing medicines had been spent on membership of a tennis club during the previous government's tenure.

The Health Minister also alleged that the previous government had awarded construction contracts based on its preferences, leaving several projects incomplete. "If the honourable Leader of the Opposition travels from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod, he can see these monuments for himself," he said.

Muraleedharan said the UDF government was now working to complete unfinished buildings, appoint the required staff and make the facilities useful to the public.

He also questioned the previous government's decision to stockpile what he described as unnecessary equipment, medicines and PPE kits, alleging that commissions had been paid in the process. He said disposing of the items would now cost ₹40 lakh.

Muraleedharan said the government was working to ensure that people who depended on public hospitals were not forced to use substandard medicines merely because they could not afford private healthcare.

"This government is making every effort to purchase branded medicines at lower costs and make them available to the people," he said, adding that medicine companies and agents linked to party members and relatives who had benefited during the previous tenure would no longer have such opportunities.