Minister warns of action against those opposing vaccination

Kerala Health and Social Welfare Minister K K Shylaja Teacher today warned that action will be taken against those who are campaigning against vaccination for diphtheria despite a two-phase awareness programme on it.
The Health Department was trying to create an awareness about the benefits of vaccination after an enquiry on spread of communicable diseases like diphtheria which claimed lives of some children in Malappuram district disclosed that the victims had not been vaccinated, she told a meet-the-press here.
Discussions with religious organisations also showed they werenot against the vaccination, the Minister said.
She said legalaction would be initiated against those disrupting health workersinvolved in the vaccination programme.

Recently, the Kerala Human Rights Commission has ordered thegovernment to make immunisation mandatory for getting admission in educational institutions, including schools.
The direction was given in the wake of return of diphtheria, a disease believed to have been completely eradicated in Kerala through vaccination, in Malappuram, where a section of people are reportedly reluctant to undergo immunisation drives.

Two children had died and eight others were affected with diphtheria in the last one month in Malappuram.
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Shylaja also said bacic facilities would be improved in all the five medical collegehospitals in the state as the government's aim was to providespeciality medical care for the ordinary people at lesser cost.

She said primary health centres will be converted into Family Health Centres.
The Kozhikode Medical College Hospital was now placed between 10 and 15 in the national ranking and the facilities would be upgraded to the status of an AIIMS, she said.
Steps would be taken to convert district hospitals into superspeciality hospitals from this year and Siddha and Unanidispensaries would be opened in all panchayats.
The issue of shortage of speciality doctors will be looked into by filling up the posts in various hospitals in the state, she added.