The Kerala government has taken a significant step forward with the implementation of the Public Health Act. To ensure its effective execution, the Health and Family Welfare Department was entrusted with the task of framing the necessary rules.

In the previous financial year, a 12-member committee was constituted to oversee this process. The committee is chaired by the Directorate of Health Services (DHS), with Dr. V Jithesh, Executive Director of the State Health Systems Resource Centre-Kerala (SHSRC-Kerala), serving as the convener. The remaining members were appointed to contribute their expertise to the development of the Act.

As part of this effort, SHSRC-Kerala convened several meetings and prepared a draft proposal of the Public Health rules, which was submitted to the DHS for final vetting in the previous financial year. As a follow-up in the current financial year, a meeting was held to further vet the draft, focusing on incorporating suggestions from the Additional Chief Secretary (Health). The earlier draft had also received comments from the Law Department, recommending additional modifications.

A revised draft was subsequently prepared through collaborative consultations between the committee members and Law Department officials. This updated version will now be forwarded to the Directorate of Health Services for further vetting.

Once the DHS completes its verification and evaluation of the rules and recommendations, it will communicate with the committee members regarding any further modifications. The revised draft submitted to the Kerala Government’s Health and Family Welfare Department for additional review

Based on the feedback and suggestions from higher officials, SHSRC-Kerala will undertake further revisions and redrafting as needed—ensuring that the final version of the rules aligns with the objectives of the Public Health Act and effectively addresses the needs of Kerala’s public health system.