Kerala: SMA drug row backfires on CPI-M

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The controversy over the supply of an Indian made drug to children suffering from Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) has put the CPI-M on the backfoot, with questions emerging over the role of the previous LDF government in the procurement process.

With the Assembly session set to resume on Monday, the issue is likely to figure prominently in the House.

What was intended as a tactical move by the CPI-M to corner Health Minister K. Muraleedharan by fielding three former women Health Ministers from the CPI-M now appears to have backfired, potentially providing the Minister with ammunition to counter the Opposition's attack.

The CPI-M had brought K.K. Shailaja, P.K. Sreemathy and Veena George together at a press conference to raise concerns over the medicine and alleged lapses in its supply to children.

However, reports that a technical committee recommended Natco's medicine on May 8, followed by a communication from the State Mission Director to the Additional Chief Secretary, have complicated the CPI-M's campaign.

The letter was signed by U.R. Rahul, the State Nodal Officer appointed during the previous LDF government's tenure.

The reported documentary trail has raised questions about the party's attempt to place responsibility entirely on the present UDF government.

Former Health Minister Veena George alleged in a Facebook post that medicine intended for clinical trials had been given to children through a government medical college.

She questioned the manufacturing date, shelf life, quality certification and regulatory approvals.

Shailaja and Sreemathy had also raised concerns over the alleged use of trial medicines and the circumstances surrounding the supply.

What has particularly stung the Left, however, is that prominent doctors known to be Left sympathisers have backed the way the V.D. Satheesan government handled the issue, giving the CPI-M's attack an unexpected complication.

The controversy began after parents expressed concern over packaging that reportedly carried the words "Doctors' Sample" and complained that adequate information about the medicine had not been provided.

The precise nature of the labelling, the regulatory status of the medicine and the applicable procurement conditions still require clarification.

As the Kerala Assembly prepares to reconvene, the SMA drug controversy could turn into a political contest in which the CPI-M's attempt to put the Health Minister on the defensive may instead give Minister Muraleedharan an opportunity to turn the tables.

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