Kerala Health Minister K. Muraleedharan on Friday (July 31, 2026) inaugurated four major initiatives at the Kerala University of Health Sciences (KUHS) here, including the university’s first on-campus academic programme, an MSc in Medical Bioinformatics.

The Minister also dedicated a medicinal plant garden established with financial support from the National Medicinal Plants Board and technical assistance from the Kerala Forest Research Institute (KFRI). He also launched a YouTube channel for public health awareness and inaugurated an e-learning studio that will offer master classes to students across various academic disciplines.

Launching the university’s YouTube channel, Mr. Muraleedharan said the initiative was timely as misinformation and unscientific claims on issues such as COVID-19 and organ transplantation continued to circulate widely. Evidence-based health awareness programmes by the university would greatly benefit society, he added.

Speaking after inaugurating the medicinal plant garden, the Minister expressed confidence that the initiative would help address the shortage of medicinal plants faced by the Ayurveda sector. He also appreciated the university’s public awareness initiatives on snakebite prevention.

In his inaugural address, Mr. Muraleedharan stressed that the State government was committed to ensuring quality education and health care for the people. The government’s focus, he said, was to implement projects that would maximise public benefit while creating opportunities that could help reduce the migration of students and professionals to other States and abroad.

The Minister said the government was willing to collaborate with the private sector to strengthen infrastructure in government hospitals and medical colleges by effectively utilising corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds from banks and other institutions.

KUHS Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr. Mohanan Kunnummal, who presided over the function, said the government’s decision to consider bringing Government Medical College, Thrissur, under the university as a constituent college would significantly strengthen health research. He urged the government to expedite the process, noting that the proposal had already been included in the State Budget.

Published - July 31, 2026 07:14 pm IST