THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Health Minister K Muraleedharan on Sunday said the health department is fully equipped to combat infectious diseases including Nipah and shigella.
Speaking after inaugurating the state-level pulse polio immunisation drive at the Thycaud Women and Children’s Hospital, the minister said that although no polio cases have been reported in the state for the past 26 years, stringent precautionary measures remain vital to mitigate any future risks.
He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to strengthening the public healthcare sector and outlined upcoming collaborative initiatives with local self-government bodies aimed at cleaning rivers and streams and ensuring strict food safety measures.
The minister also said procedures are well under way to secure approval for Thiruvananthapuram’s second government medical college within this year.
The state-wide immunisation drive was officially launched with the minister administering polio drops to infants at the Thycaud facility. This massive health campaign aims to vaccinate 1,980,224 children under the age of five across the state. To ensure comprehensive coverage, the department has set up 22,288 vaccination booths and deployed 46,663 trained volunteers.
The inaugural ceremony was presided over by Arogyakeralam state mission director Anu S Nair, and attended by principal secretary of health and family welfare Dr Sharmila Mary Joseph, director of health services Dr V Meenakshi, alongside ward councillors Surya V S and G Venugopal.
