Daijiworld Media Network - Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 24: The controversy over the supply of an Indian-made drug to children suffering from Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) has put the CPI-M on the defensive, with questions emerging over the role of the previous LDF government in the procurement process.
With the Kerala Assembly session scheduled to resume on Monday, the issue is expected to figure prominently in the House.
The CPI-M’s attempt to corner Health Minister K. Muraleedharan by bringing together three former women Health Ministers at a press conference appears to have backfired, potentially giving the Minister an opportunity to counter the Opposition’s allegations.
The party had fielded K.K. Shailaja, P.K. Sreemathy and Veena George to raise concerns over the medicine and alleged lapses in its supply to children suffering from the rare genetic disorder.
However, reports that a technical committee recommended Natco’s medicine on May 8, followed by a communication from the State Mission Director to the Additional Chief Secretary, have complicated the CPI-M’s campaign.
The letter was reportedly signed by U.R. Rahul, the State Nodal Officer appointed during the previous LDF government’s tenure. The documentary trail has raised questions over the Opposition’s attempt to place responsibility entirely on the present UDF government.
Former Health Minister Veena George alleged in a Facebook post that medicine intended for clinical trials had been administered to children through a government medical college. She questioned the manufacturing date, shelf life, quality certification and regulatory approvals of the drug.
Shailaja and Sreemathy had also expressed concerns over the alleged use of trial medicines and the circumstances surrounding their supply.
Adding to the CPI-M’s difficulties, prominent doctors considered sympathetic to the Left have reportedly backed the handling of the issue by the V.D. Satheesan government, complicating the party’s criticism of the present administration.
The controversy erupted after parents raised concerns over packaging that reportedly carried the words “Doctors’ Sample” and complained that they had not been provided adequate information about the medicine.
The precise nature of the labelling, the drug’s regulatory status and the applicable procurement conditions remain matters requiring clarification.
As the Kerala Assembly prepares to reconvene, the SMA medicine controversy is likely to trigger a political confrontation, with the CPI-M’s effort to put the Health Minister on the defensive potentially giving the government an opportunity to question the decisions taken during the previous LDF administration.