Kerala Health Minister faces heat over Acanthamoeba keratitis study

Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 15 Journalist-turned-Health Minister Veena George has come under sharp criticism after her remarks on a study into Acanthamoeba, the organism linked to Acanthamoeba keratitis, triggered a furor.

The controversy erupted after the Minister claimed that the study was published in 2013, while records show it appeared in the 'Indian Journal of Microbiology' only in 2018, during the tenure of her predecessor K.K. Shailaja.

The study, conducted in 2013 by doctors at Thiruvananthapuram Medical College, examined 350 patients with corneal ulcers.

It found that 64 per cent of cases were caused by Acanthamoeba, suspected to have spread through contaminated well water.

The research noted a “health hazard warning” and urged effective action, but no steps were taken at the time, according to the Minister.

In a detailed Facebook post, Veena George clarified that while the research was indeed completed in 2013, it was sent to a journal years later and published only in 2018.

“Hundreds of journals publish such papers. These do not automatically come to the government’s notice unless pointed out by someone with academic interest.

"The issue is not that the 2018 publication was ignored, but that in 2013, when the government was directly informed, no action followed,” she wrote.

Those opposed to the Left government, especially health professionals have seized on the statement, questioning why the Health Department did not act earlier and how the matter surfaced just days before the Assembly session.

Meanwhile, some within the CPI- M are also said to be unhappy, with reports suggesting Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is displeased over the embarrassment caused to the government.

The study was carried out by Dr. Anna Cherian and Dr. R. Jyothi and later presented at an academic conference in 2013.

With recent deaths from Amoebic Meningoencephalitis amplifying public concern, the controversy has intensified, putting the Health Minister on the defensive and drawing fresh scrutiny of the government’s handling of health issues.

Now with the 12-day fresh Assembly session beginning on Monday, all eyes are on Veena George’s biggest critic, the Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan, who has time and again slammed her for the way she has been running the health department.

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