Kochi : Health Minister K. Muraleedharan said the government would encourage medical camps, which enable the common people to access faster and more effective diagnosis. He was speaking after inaugurating the installation ceremony of the newly elected office-bearers of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), Kochi Branch. The government aims to foster collaboration between the public and private sectors in clinical expertise, technology and research, he said. The Minister also announced that regulations would be introduced to address instances of certain private hospitals charging excessive room rents and medicine prices without adhering to basic standards. He said the Drugs Control Department had been entrusted with ensuring the quality of medicines and dismissed reports suggesting a shortage of medicines in the state as misinformation. Reaffirming the government’s commitment to safeguarding the healthcare sector, he appreciated IMA Kochi for its initiatives, including Basic Life Support training for students, super-speciality medical camps and support extended to the district administration during COVID-19 prevention activities.
Dr. Vinod Padmanabhan (President), Dr. George Thukalan (Secretary), Dr. Siju Joseph (Treasurer), Dr. Athul Joseph Manuel (Immediate Past President), Dr. R. Ramesh Kumar (President-Elect), Dr. M.M. Haneesh (State Working Committee Member), Dr. Anita Thilakan, Dr. M.M. Faisal, Dr. Sachin Suresh and Dr. G.N. Ramesh (Vice Presidents), and Dr. Karthik Balachandran, Dr. Alvin Antony, Dr. Bansir Hussain, Dr. Rakhi T. Menon and Dr. T.C. Vishnu (Joint Secretaries) assumed office as the office-bearers of IMA Kochi for the 2026–27 term.
Dr. M. Venugopal, Dr. Sachin Suresh, Dr. Bansir Hussain, Dr. Athul Joseph Manuel, Dr. Alvin Antony, Dr. V.P. Kuryeep, Dr. Vinod Padmanabhan, Dr. K. Narayanan Kutty, Dr. S. Sachidananda Kamath, Dr. Sheeja Srinivas, Dr. Meera Gopalakrishnan and Dr. George Thukalan addressed the gathering.
