T’puram: The state govt has announced a series of major healthcare initiatives, including the launch of the ‘One Kerala Karuthal Mission’, a healthcare financial assistance scheme; a universal health insurance scheme named after later chief minister Oommen Chandy; and measures aimed at strengthening medical infrastructure and promoting health tourism.An allocation of Rs 2,076 crore was set aside for the health sector in the UDF budget presented by chief minister V D Satheesan.The One Kerala Karuthal Mission will be set up as a technology-driven platform to provide direct financial assistance to economically vulnerable families unable to afford treatment for life-threatening illnesses. The mission will function on a transparent mechanism to ensure that donations received from NGOs, CSR funds, institutions and individuals reach eligible beneficiaries without diversion.The govt will meet all administrative and operational expenses of the mission, allowing public contributions to be utilized entirely for welfare activities. Advanced digital verification systems, transparent beneficiary identification protocols and real-time public disclosure mechanisms will be introduced to enhance accountability and donor confidence. An initial allocation of Rs 1 crore has been earmarked for the project.The govt also announced the launch of the Oommen Chandy Health Insurance Scheme, which will provide comprehensive health coverage of up to Rs 25 lakh to all families. The scheme is intended to protect households from catastrophic medical expenses. A sum of Rs 10 crore has been allocated towards its initial implementation.Besides, the budget announced the upgradation of infrastructure, staffing and equipment at the medical colleges in Kasaragod, Idukki, Wayanad and Manjeri. The second medical college in Thiruvananthapuram will be made operational, while a new medical college will be established at Haripad, Alappuzha. An allocation of Rs 100 crore has been set aside for these projects.To position Kerala as a global healthcare destination, the govt will introduce the ‘Reach Kerala’ initiative, which will integrate the efforts of the health, Ayush and tourism departments to offer high-quality healthcare services and promote health tourism.The budget also proposes the implementation of a ‘Golden Hour Project’ to improve access to emergency and trauma care through better coordination among healthcare institutions alongside the introduction of a digitized response system.In addition, a new programme will provide financial assistance for annual health check-ups for individuals aged 40 years and above to facilitate early disease detection and reduce long-term treatment costs.The govt said the medicine procurement process of Kerala Medical Services Corporation Limited (KMSCL) would be reviewed to improve efficiency, while pending dues under Karunya Arogya Suraksha Scheme would be cleared in phases to ensure its smooth functioning.Special coastal care units will be established to improve healthcare access in coastal regions. Mobile diagnostic laboratories will also be introduced in rural areas lacking adequate testing facilities. In the first phase, 10 mobile laboratories will be set up at a cost of Rs 2 crore each, with an allocation of Rs 20 crore for the initiative.
