K Muraleedharan

The needle was removed during surgery at Kozhikode Medical College Hospital after the child developed severe pain and swelling near her right ribs.

The initiative aims to reduce hesitation among people to seek help, as the term 'mental health centre' is often associated with severe mental illness, the health minister said.

Kerala State Health Minister K Muraleedharan warned that such products could cause serious skin and other health problems.

"We will follow the same old protocol in all state government events or programmes. Only the first two couplets will be sung," he asserted.

With regard to setting up an AIIMS in the state, the minister said that health officials recently visited Vaikom and other locations earmarked for it will also be inspected.

The meeting reviewed the implementation and progress of mFree Drugs Service Initiajor flagship health programmes and initiatives in Kerala, including the TB-Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan and schemes under the National Health Mission.

The initiative will first be implemented at the medical colleges in Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode.

He said the state was able to contain the disease without imposing measures such as containment zones that disrupt people's movement and livelihoods.

Kerala Health Minister K Muraleedharan said that 70 of the 146 cases were reported in June.