THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Health Minister Adoor Prakash said that he did not visit the injured teacher of Valakam incident, Krishnakumar, who was admitted to the Medical College Hospital, to avoid unwanted controversies. Addressing a news conference convened to announce the observance of the Vaccination Month Campaign here on Tuesday, he said:”It was not possible for a minister to visit every victim in such sensitive cases. If I go and meet the injured and if something takes place in the course of investigation into the case which the Opposition does not like, it will create another controversy,” he said. When pointed out that an Opposition leader had said that the wound reports from the Kottarakkara Taluk Hospital and the Medical College Hospital were different, he said the Opposition leader might have read the wound report. “I have not been able to read the wound report so far in my capacity as the Health Minister,” he said. On the question of allowing private practice for Medical College doctors, he said that he had already made his stand clear. But the government had not issued any order allowing private practice yet. He said the government had initiated steps to make medicines available at affordable price. Talks with pharmaceutical companies had already started. The representatives of the medical companies will meet the Chief Minister on October 20. He said an inquiry would be conducted on the reports of death of 32 children below the age of 12 years at the SAT hospital in September. Talks will be held with all concerned to implement the Public Health Act.Vaccination Month to be Observed The Health Minister said that a vaccination month was being observed from October 10 to November 10. According to a latest survey, 9,583 children under the age of five have not been administered any vaccine. The survey shows that 45,323 children, under the age of five years, could not complete the full course of vaccination. Following this, there are reports of five diseases of primary complex, diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, jaundice and measles in various parts of the state. For extending the vaccination coverage, ward- level health and sanitation committees will be revived. Departments of education, local self governance, social welfare , ASHA workers, Kudumbashree units, Nehru Yuvakendra, NSS, NCC, Scouts and Guides and other organisations will be associated to implement the campaign. The drop-out children’s address and other details will be collected and district and state-level teams will visit the areas where low coverage was reported. In view of the reports against pentavalent vaccine, it will not be used for immunisation. A panel of experts has been asked to conduct an inquiry about the use of pentavalent vaccine and file a report.
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