Pinarayi Vijayan criticised the Keralam govt's Nipah response, noting the LDF's Health Minister had camped in affected areas. He said the current govt lacks similar vigilance and questioned the timing of the DHS transfer during the crisis.
Vijayan Contrasts LDF and Present Govt's Nipah Response
Leader of opposition in Keralam Pinarayi Vijayan, on Sunday, stated that during the LDF government's tenure, its Health Minister had camped in areas affected by Nipah outbreaks and closely coordinated containment efforts, adding that similar levels of field-level presence are not being seen at present. He said, "During the LDF government's tenure, when Nipah outbreaks occurred in the state, the then Health Minister camped in the affected area and coordinated the containment activities. However, it is unfortunate that such vigilance is not being seen now.
The present government is handling the Nipah Control Room as though it were a place from which public representatives should stay away. He further alleged that the current government is handling the Nipah Control Room in a manner that discourages involvement of public representatives, unlike earlier instances where their cooperation was actively sought in containment activities.
DHS Transfer Amidst Crisis Questioned
Vijayan stated, "In the past, attention was given to organising containment activities with the cooperation of public representatives as well. It was when an extremely serious Nipah situation emerged that the government transferred the Director of Health Services (DHS). It is the Health Department that should provide effective leadership to the containment activities. " The leader also referred to the recent transfer of the Director of Health Services (DHS) during a serious Nipah situation, stating that such a move at a critical stage of outbreak management is unusual and should ideally be avoided, as the Health Department is expected to provide stable leadership.
"Replacing the person at the helm of the department at such a stage is not something that would normally be expected. But the Health Minister says that the transfer was made because of non-cooperation with the system. A system relating to transfers within the department has been functioning transparently," Vijayan stated.
Vijayan Alleges Ulterior Motive for Transfer
He added that while the Health Minister has attributed the transfer to "non-cooperation with the system," he believed the decision was linked to differences over the functioning of the department's internal transfer system, which he claimed had been operating transparently. "My understanding is that the DHS was transferred because he did not support the UDF government's attempt to dismantle that system", said Vijayan. (ANI)
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