Ker plans to make vaccination mandatory for school admission

Amid concerns over return of diphtheria in Kerala, state Health Minister K K Shailaja today said the CPIM-led LDF government plans to make vaccination mandatory for children getting school admissions.
Instructions would be given to produce vaccination certificate at the time of the admission of children, Shailaja told reporters here.
Government has no intention to impose vaccination on the people and the move was considering the people's safety, she said.
The government's move assumes significance in the wake of reports that reluctance of a section of a people at Malappuram to go in for vaccination was one of the reasons for the sudden spurt of the disease in the district.

She also said a massive campaign to create awareness on vaccination would be launched in the state.
A people's convention would be held at Malappuram as part of the campaign on July 25. Later, such conventions would be conducted across the state, she added.

Two persons have died due to the disease and 105 diphtheria cases have so far been reported in the state, she said.
The minister said the state was also planning to bring in a legislation to check the rates being charged in private medical laboratories for various tests.
The government would try to introduce the Kerala Medical Establishment Bill, which would have provisions to check rates charged for various tests in medical labs, in the next assembly session, said.

The draft of the legislation was under preparation in the health department, she said, adding, after getting approval of the Law and finance departments, the draft of the bill would be published.
To a question, she said steps were progressing to appoint adequate number of doctors and other para medical staff including nurses in government hospitals in the state.
She said preliminary discussions have been held with self-financing medical colleges association representatives in connection with admission of students.
About setting up AYUSH University, the minister said the government would take a decision as and when the land for it was available. It would function on similar lines of Centres of Excellence, she added.