The Kerala High Court has directed the Additional Chief Secretary (Health and Family Welfare Department) to file an affidavit on how the state government has proposed to address the deficiencies pointed out by the State Clinical Facilities Board regarding public hospitals in the state.
A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Nitin Jamdar and Justice Syama Kumar VM was hearing a public interest litigation seeking to enforce safety norms in all public health facilities following the collapse of a portion of the Kottayam Medical College building earlier this year.
Based on inspections conducted by the Kerala State Legal Services Authority in government hospitals across Kerala, the problems were categorized into four – infrastructure-related, shortage of staff, shortage of drugs and equipment and inadequate facilities.
The court further noted that the State Board of Clinical Facilities stated that the Grievance Redressal Committee had categorized problems into three heads – those requiring immediate action, medium-term improvements and long-term improvements. The court noted that the report has been submitted to the state government and observed that the response of the state government is necessary in these aspects. It directed the Additional Chief Secretary (Health and Family Welfare Department) to submit an affidavit on how the government proposes to proceed in light of the various shortcomings pointed out by the State Council in its report.
The matter was posted for hearing on November 21.
Published – 06 Nov 2025 21:10 IST
