Thiruvananthapuram: Five districts get new district medical officers (DMOs), ending vacancies that had remained unfilled for up to seven months, said health minister K Muraleedharan on Saturday.The appointments were made in Malappuram, Idukki, Kozhikode, Kannur and Kasaragod, ensuring that all districts in the state now have serving DMOs, he said.Dr Vinod V, superintendent of Tirurangadi taluk headquarters hospital, has been appointed DMO of Malappuram. Dr Iype Joseph, deputy district medical officer of Pathanamthitta, will take charge as DMO of Idukki.Dr Sarithakumari L T, superintendent of district model hospital at Peroorkada in Thiruvananthapuram, has been posted as Kozhikode DMO. Dr Vivek Kumar R, deputy director in health directorate, has been appointed DMO of Kannur, while Dr Rekha K T, who was serving as DMO of Wayanad, has been transferred to Kasaragod.According to the minister, the DMO post in Kannur was lying vacant since Nov 2025. Vacancies subsequently arose in Idukki in Feb this year, Kasaragod in April, Malappuram in early May and Kozhikode in June.Muraleedharan said it was govt’s policy that no post in health department should remain vacant. He attributed the prolonged vacancies in several districts to delays in initiating timely procedures in the past. The present govt has taken steps to fill all vacancies soon after assuming office, he added.He said the process was delayed because departmental promotion committee (DPC) list hadn’t been finalised, but govt intervention helped expedite the appointments. The minister added that Kozhikode was the only district where a vacancy arose after present govt assumed office and the post was filled within 30 days. Vacancies in superintendent posts at various district general hospitals have also been filled, he said.
