Kerala Health Minister K Muraleedharan said the medicine shortage in government hospitals has been almost completely resolved, while confirming that haemophilia medicine arrived in the state on Wednesday. He made the remarks in Palakkad on Thursday amid protests and allegations of medical negligence linked to hospital treatment.
Muraleedharan said the initial reason cited for the protests was the non-availability of medicines. According to the minister, allegations of medical negligence were raised after medicines began arriving. He rejected the negligence claims and referred to an investigation into one of the cases that had triggered protests.
“When medicines started arriving, they claimed medical negligence. However, when an investigation into the alleged medical negligence was conducted, it was found that the person wasn’t even admitted to the hospital,” Muraleedharan told reporters.
The minister’s comments come as protests continue in Kannur, including concerns related to Pariyaram Medical College. Muraleedharan said he had not removed any doctor from the institution since taking office. He added that doctors and staff appointed during the previous Pinarayi Vijayan government continued to work at the medical college and were carrying out their duties well.
The medicine shortage has placed the availability of essential treatment at the centre of the dispute. Muraleedharan said medicine for haemophilia had reached Kerala the previous day. He also said another haemophilia medicine was currently unavailable anywhere in the country.
Haemophilia patients depend on timely access to medicines to manage bleeding episodes and reduce the risk of serious complications. The minister did not provide details in the statement on the quantity received, the distribution of the medicine across government hospitals or how long the available stock is expected to last.
The issue is also expected to come up during the Kerala Assembly session. Muraleedharan said the protests were taking place ahead of the session and that an adjournment motion was likely to be moved in the House. He said he had the necessary details and evidence ready to respond to the motion.
The minister’s assurance that the shortage has been almost completely resolved will now have to be assessed through the availability of medicines at individual government hospitals. The statement did not specify whether all categories of medicines previously reported as unavailable had been replenished or identify the hospitals that had received new supplies.
For patients and families using the public health system, the immediate issue remains whether essential medicines are available when prescribed. The government’s next public response is expected during the Assembly proceedings, where the minister said he would present details on the shortage, the protests and the allegations of medical negligence.
