Karnataka-registered doctors may be allowed to practise in Kasaragod: Keralam Health Minister

Keralam Health Minister K. Muraleedharan

The Keralam government has recommended to the State Medical Council that doctors registered with the Karnataka Medical Council be allowed to practise in Kasaragod, considering the district’s special circumstances, Health Minister K. Muraleedharan has said.

The medical council is expected to take a favourable decision on the recommendation soon, the Minister said while inaugurating ‘Kayakalpam’, a public outreach programme of the Health Minister.

Government hospitals should have adequate number of doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and laboratory technicians, the Minister said, adding that additional posts had been sought. Their early sanction would considerably ease staff shortage in the district.

The extension of the tenure of National Health Mission employees in Kasaragod till March 31 was also an indication of the government’s commitment to the district, he said.

The Minister said that he would direct the authorities to convene a meeting of the Endosulfan cell soon. Periye in Kasaragod was among the four locations proposed by the government to the Centre for setting up an All India Institute of Medical Sciences, he said.

Instructions had been issued to make hostel facilities available at the Kasaragod Medical College within two months. The construction of a hostel for nursing students would begin within three months, he added.

The government would ensure the services of a forensic surgeon at the Kanhangad district hospital. A new building for the District Medical Office would be constructed at a cost of ₹4.8 crore.