Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare J. P. Nadda held a virtual review meeting with K. Muraleedharan, Kerala’s Minister for Health, to assess the progress of key health programmes and public health initiatives being implemented in the state.
The review covered several major initiatives, including the TB-Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan, the Free Drugs Service Initiative, the Free Diagnostic Service Initiative, strengthening of human resources under the National Health Mission (NHM), medical education, drug regulation, and food safety measures.
According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the discussions focused on improving healthcare delivery, expanding access to affordable medicines and diagnostic services, strengthening health infrastructure and workforce, enhancing medical education, reinforcing oversight of drugs and blood banks, and ensuring robust food safety standards across Kerala.
During the meeting, Muraleedharan briefed the Union Health Minister on the state’s progress under various health programmes and outlined the measures taken by the Kerala government to further strengthen its healthcare system. He also highlighted key challenges requiring central assistance and reiterated the state’s commitment to working closely with the Union government to achieve national health goals.
Nadda appreciated Kerala’s efforts in implementing healthcare initiatives and assured the state’s continued support from the Central government. He emphasized the importance of strong Centre-State collaboration for the effective implementation of national health programmes and for improving overall public health outcomes.
The meeting concluded with both governments reaffirming their commitment to enhancing public health infrastructure and ensuring accessible, affordable, equitable, and quality healthcare services through sustained cooperation.
The virtual meeting was attended by Punya Salila Srivastava, Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare; Dr. Sharmila Mary Joseph, Principal Secretary, Health and Family Welfare Department, Government of Kerala; Aradhana Patnaik, Additional Secretary and Mission Director (NHM); Dr. Rajeev Raghuvanshi, Drugs Controller General of India; Amit Sharma, Executive Director of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI); along with senior officials from the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the Government of Kerala.