LDF walkout over H1N1 fever issue

Thiruvananthapuram, Jul 11: CPI-M led LDF Opposition in Kerala today (Jul 11) staged a walkout from the assembly in protest against Speaker G Karthikeyan's refusal to entertain their adjournment motion on the spread of various types of fever, including H1N1 in many parts of the state.

Replying to the notice for the motion, Health Minister Adoor Prakash said one person had died of H1N1 out of 78 cases reported so far this year.

Claiming that the UDF government had checked spread of the fever, Prakash said 85 of 1408 H1N1 affected persons had died last year during this period when LDF was in power.

Stating there was no cause for alarm, Prakash said all government hospitals in the state had adequate stocks of drugs to treat H1N1 and other types of fever.

District Medical Officers had been authorised to conduct interviews to appoint doctors on a temporary basis in places where there was shortage, he added.

Before the walkout,Opposition leader V S Achuthanandan said the government was not serious in dealing with the situation.

P Thilothaman(CPI), who sought leave for the motion, alleged that all types of fever,particularly H1N1 was spreading in Kerala and there was an acute dearth of doctors and drugs in all government hospitals. He demanded that the government take urgent steps to check spread of the fever.

PTI