Pathanamthitta, October 14 (IANS). Kerala government has set a big target in the field of health. State Health Minister Veena George presented a policy document titled ‘Vision 2031- Health Sector of Kerala’ during the Vision 2031 health seminar on Tuesday and said that Kerala wants to become a state by 2031, where every citizen can get better treatment without discrimination.
The minister said that the focus of the government is to bring health services closer to the people. Now people will not have to run to big hospitals or cities for treatment. The government will provide special treatment facilities to small hospitals. Along with this, primary health centers will be further strengthened. In case of accident or emergency, treatment facilities will also be improved, so that no one dies just because of delay.
Under the state’s most important health scheme ‘Karunya Swasthya Suraksha Yojana’, so far 42.2 lakh families are getting treatment facilities. Under this scheme, every family is given free treatment up to Rs 5 lakh every year.
The minister said that this scheme will be taken further so that more and more people can get its benefits. Also, Karunya Benevolent Fund will also continue as before.
The Health Minister further said that the government is now serious about prevention of diseases. Nowadays, lifestyle diseases like obesity, diabetes and blood pressure are increasing rapidly. To deal with these, the government has started ‘Healthy Life Campaign’. Under this, 10,000 yoga clubs are being formed and health programs are being run for children in schools, so that children are inspired towards good health from childhood.
The state has started ‘Anandam Campaign’ to check the health of people above 30 years of age. Through this, health workers are visiting people door-to-door to check up and if needed, treatment facilities are also being provided. This step has been taken to catch diseases in their early stages.
More than 20 lakh people have been screened so far under the ‘Health for Cancer Prevention- Anandam Aakaram’ campaign. Apart from this, cancer treatment centers equipped with modern technology are also being established so that people can get better treatment.
The Health Minister said that now the danger of new diseases is emerging in Kerala, like amoebic meningoencephalitis. To deal with this, a strong intelligence system is being prepared in the state, which will issue alerts before the spread of any disease. A separate plan is also being prepared for each area so that action can be taken quickly.
The Health Minister said that Kerala is moving towards becoming a health hub, where people from India and abroad can come for treatment. Kerala has already become an example in preventing misuse of antibiotics. He appealed to the people not to spread health related rumors and rely only on scientific facts.
On this occasion, Additional Chief Secretary Dr. Rajan N. Khobragade also presented a report on the progress of Kerala’s health services in the last 10 years and how the state has brought many diseases under control.
–IANS
PK/AS