Kerala Health Minister visits Attappady amid infant deaths; an expert team will begin an investigation

The Kerala government has sent two teams of experts from the health department and the directorate of medical education to camp in Attapady and conduct a detailed investigation into the circumstances leading to the infant deaths in the tribal colonies there.

Health Minister K. Muraleedharan said that he himself would visit Attappady on Saturday (October 31, 2026). He will hold meetings with health officials at the Kottathara Tribal Special Hospital to review health facilities in the region and review measures to prevent more infant deaths.

Mr. Muraleedharan will also visit the Agali Community Health Center and hold a meeting with the doctors and field workers of the Health Department, review the health care issues and treatment facilities in the region.

The fundamental problems affecting the provision of health care and the community’s use of maternal and child care services need to be identified and resolved, the health minister said.

Field visits

Meanwhile, expert medical teams have already reached Attappada and are conducting field visits.

The team appointed by the Directorate of Health Services includes State Tribal Health Nodal Officer Harikumar, National Health Mission Maternal and Child Health Nodal Officer Joy John and Deputy Director of Health Services Lipsy Paul.

The Department of Medical Education was represented by seven specialists from government medical colleges, including experts in genetics, pediatric cardiology, pediatric gastroenterology, neonatology, infectious diseases and gynecology. The team is headed by I. Riaz, Superintendent of SAT Hospital, Thiruvananthapuram.

The teams will visit tribal villages, hospitals, community health centres, family health centers and health sub-centres across Attappady. All pregnant women and children under the age of five in the region will be directly examined and the necessary examinations and treatment will be provided.

Detailed audit

The teams will also conduct a detailed audit of neonatal, infant and child deaths reported in Attappady in 2026 to identify the causes and investigate the circumstances of the deaths.

As part of the investigation, the functioning of mobile medical teams and nutritional rehabilitation centers will also be assessed.

The expert panel has been asked to submit a report containing its recommendations within a week of the completion of the detailed assessment. Further action will be taken based on the report.

The government intends to identify the causes of maternal and child deaths in Attappady and implement emergency or short-term measures as well as long-term interventions to improve the health of tribal mothers and children.

It deeply concerns: Binoy Viswam

It is deeply disturbing that despite 10 infant deaths in Attappady in the last four months, the state government has failed to identify the root causes or find a lasting solution to the problem, Communist Party of India (CPI) state secretary Binoy Viswam said here on Friday.

Stating that providing healthcare to the tribal population was not an act of charity but a constitutional responsibility of the government, he said the authorities had failed to ensure access to adequate medical care, proper nutrition, care for pregnant women, timely hospital services and emergency ambulance facilities for these vulnerable communities.

Appointing expert commissions or issuing statements only after a death has occurred would be pointless, he said. Each death must be investigated independently and lapses by the health department and the tribal planned development department must be investigated. For the United Democratic Front (UDF) government, which is handing over state land, hills and coastal waters to corporations, the lives of the poor and the recurring deaths of their children might seem trivial. This situation has to change, said Mr. Viswam.

Published – 30 Oct 2026 18:54 IST