Kerala SHRC Appoints WHO Consultant S.S. Lal To Study Health Sector
· India · The Hindu, Hindustan Times
Kerala's State Human Rights Commission (SHRC), chaired by retired Judge Alexander Thomas, has recommended the appointment of public health expert S.S. Lal as Special Rapporteur-cum-Special Monitor to study the state's public health sector. Dr. Lal, who has worked as a consultant with the WHO, has been asked to hold discussions with state-level agencies, examine health sector challenges in depth and submit an interim report within two months. The move follows a suo motu case by the SHRC citing serious crises including a lack of basic infrastructure in public healthcare. The commission noted that multinationals have invested nearly one billion US dollars in Kerala's private health sector, warning that private care may soon become unaffordable for the middle class without health insurance. Dr. Lal may also take assistance from A. Althaf, Professor in the Department of Community Medicine at Thiruvananthapuram Government Medical College.
Why it matters
Kerala's middle class and public health patients stand to be affected by the findings, as the report will shape government policy on balancing growing private-sector investment with crumbling public health infrastructure.
Read the original report — The Hindu
Join us on Telegram
Breaking news the moment it lands. At 10,000 members we ship the Android app.