Published Oct 22, 2026 | 8:54 PM ⚊ Updated Oct 22, 2026 | 8:54 PM
The LDF leaders made the allegation at a joint press conference on Thursday, 22 October.
Synopsis: Three former Keralam health ministers, KK Shailaja, Veena George and PK Sreemathi, have accused the UDF government of dismantling the state’s public health system and promoting privatisation. They raised concerns over the quality and safety of medicines supplied to children with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) and questioned changes to medicine quality checks and procurement procedures, and said the government’s policies could undermine public healthcare infrastructure built over decades.
Former health ministers of Keralam KK Shailaja, Veena George and PK Sreemathi have accused the UDF government of pushing the state’s public health sector towards privatisation, warning that its healthcare system could be dismantled by the end of the government’s tenure.
The LDF leaders made the allegation at a joint press conference on Thursday, 22 October.
The three leaders raised concerns over the procurement of medicines for children with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), the quality of drugs supplied to patients and the government’s healthcare policies.
They also expressed serious concern over reports that medicines labelled “for clinical trial only” were being distributed to infants with SMA.
The leaders alleged that the government had failed to reassure parents about the safety of the medicines being administered to their children and called for their quality to be verified.
They further questioned whether the medicines procured by the UDF government met the same quality standards as those supplied under the previous LDF administration.
The leaders also called for verification of whether bioequivalence tests had been conducted on the newly procured drugs.
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The former ministers criticised the discontinuation of the Quality Check Cell at the Kerala Medical Services Corporation, which was responsible for checking the quality of medicines.
They further questioned the decision to entrust inspections to the Drugs Controller, arguing that the arrangement was impractical and could put children’s lives at risk.
Shailaja also questioned the need for short-tender procedures for medicine procurement, saying there was no emergency warranting such a process.
She raised concerns over alleged interactions between pharmaceutical company representatives and the Health Minister’s office, describing the practice as inappropriate.
Accusing the government of using insurance schemes to promote private participation in healthcare, she alleged that the move would sideline existing government facilities and encourage private investment at the expense of the public health system.
The UDF government’s approach, she said, threatened the public healthcare infrastructure Keralam had built over decades. She warned that the state’s public health system could be severely weakened before the government completed its term.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
