A senior government doctor’s social media post citing shortages of medical equipment has triggered a storm in Kerala while exposing the state’s vaunted model healthcare system. Dr Harris Chirakkal, head of the urology department at the well-known Government Medical College Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram, in his post, that he has since removed apparently at the behest of a relative who is close to the CPM, said three-fourth of all elective surgeries are being postponed because of lack of equipment and patients even have to procure their own supplies. He hinted at corruption in the supply chain and said a vigilance probe would expose many irregularities. His allegations were latched on to by the opposition Congress that described Kerala’s public healthcare system as being on ‘ventilator support’. The........

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