KOCHI: Health Minister K K Shailaja confirmed that the expert team investigating the collapse of an under-construction building of the Cochin Cancer Research Centre, Kalamassery, will submit its report in a month.
She was in Kochi to inaugurate the district-level launch of Aardram Mission campaign on Sunday.
“Once the report is submitted, action will be taken against those responsible for the incident,” she said, adding that the contract will be cancelled in case serious lapses are found in the construction quality. She rejected reports that KIIFB failed in monitoring the construction.
The minister also shared details regarding various activities happening in the state’s health sector, citing that Kerala could be a role model for the rest of the world.
“Though wealthy countries like the US and Britain have the resources to tackle new challenges in the health sector, they all are worried of disease-causing microbes that are evolving, cropping up new kinds of diseases,” she said. She added that all medical seminars and conferences held in developed countries discuss the progress in Kerala.
“They want to know how we are dealing with such situations,” she said. She cited projects like Aardram Mission to be worthy examples.“We need to trounce life-style diseases and contagious
diseases. However, to achieve this goal, we will need the local self-government bodies to work along with the health department. One example of such an association is the ‘Prathidinam Prathirodham’,” she said,
adding that health must be prioritised above political affiliation.“More such projects will be developed by combining the activities of health, Ayush, Social Justice, Women and Child Development, and Food Safety departments,” she said.
