Department of Health and Family Welfare (Kerala)
 | |
| Department overview | |
|---|---|
| Jurisdiction | Kerala, India |
| Headquarters | Annex -II, 6th Floor Room No.603 Government Secretariat, Thiruvananthapuram Kerala-695001 |
| Minister responsible |
|
| Department executives |
|
| Parent department | Government of Kerala |
| Website | health |
The Health and Family Welfare Department is an administrative department under the Government of Kerala, responsible for public health, medical services, family welfare, and the management of healthcare institutions across the state. The department formulates health policies, oversees statewide health infrastructure, implements national health programs, and monitors public health initiatives.[1]
It is one of the largest administrative departments of Kerala and functions through various directorates, autonomous bodies, and missions. The department also oversees medical education, preventive health programs, health insurance schemes, and family welfare initiatives. It has its headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
Ministerial Team
The Department of Health and Family Welfare is headed by a Cabinet Minister of the Government of Kerala, and the incumbent Minister is Veena George.[2][3][4][5]
Administratively, the department is headed by a Principal Secretary to Government, an IAS officer. The Principal Secretary is supported by Additional Secretaries, Deputy Secretaries, Under Secretaries, and other staff posted in the Secretariat.[6]
The operational wings of the department include:
- Directorate of Health Services (DHS)
- Directorate of Medical Education (DME)
- Drugs Control Department[7]
Functions
- Formulation and implementation of health policies and State Health Action Plans.[1]
- Operation and administration of government hospitals, public health facilities, and specialty medical institutions.
- Implementation of National Health Mission (NHM) and other centrally sponsored schemes relating to public health and family welfare.
- Disease surveillance, epidemic prevention, and public health response activities through the State Surveillance Unit.
- Administration of health-related missions, boards, and autonomous institutions.[6]
Departments under
- Directorate of Health Services (DHS)[8]
- Directorate of Medical Education (DME)[9]
- Commissionerate of Food Safety, Kerala[10]
- Drugs Control Department, Kerala[11]
- National Health Mission (NHM)
Directorate of Health Services (DHS)
This is the main operational department of the Health and Family Welfare Department. It's headed by a Director, who functions as the Head of department. The Director of Health Services supervise and administer the allopathic medical institutions such as District Hospitals, Taluk Hospitals, Community Health Centres (CHCs), Public Health Centres (PHCs) and other government health clinics across the state. Each of 14 district has a District Medical Officer (DMO), who supervise government allopathic health institutions in the district.[8] Each government hospital is under control of Superintendent, and Each Public Health Centres is under Medical Officer (I/C).
Directorate of Medical Education (DME)
The Director of Medical Education is responsible for administration of government medical colleges and medical education institutions in the state.[9]
The Government Medical College Hospitals functions under the administrative control the DME. The Department is responsible for supervision and administration of medical colleges, dental colleges, nursing colleges and other medical institutions.
Major Institutions and Bodies under the Department
- Government Medical Colleges in Kerala
- State Health Systems Resource Centre – Kerala (SHSRC)
- Public Health Laboratories and Research Centres
Organisations
The following is the autonomous institutions functioning under the department.[10]
| Organisation | Website |
|---|---|
| Centre for One Health-Kerala (COH-K) | www |
| Child Development Centre Kerala (CDC) | cdckerala |
| Cochin Cancer Research Centre (CCRC) | ccrckerala |
| eHealth Kerala | ehealth |
| Indian Institute of Diabetes (IID) | www |
| Institute for Communicative and Cognitive Neurosciences (ICCONS) | www |
| Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (IMHANS) | www |
| Kerala Dental Council (KDC) | dentalcouncil |
| Kerala Health Research and Welfare Society (KHRWS) | khrws |
| Kerala Medical Services Corporation Limited (KMSCL) | kmscl |
| Kerala Nurses and Midwives Council (KNMC) | www |
| Kerala State AIDS Control Society (KSACS) | ksacs |
| Kerala State Blood Transfusion Council (KSBTC) | ksbtc |
| Kerala State Council for Clinical Establishment (CCE) | clinicalestablishments |
| Kerala State Institute of Health and Family Welfare (KSIHFW) | ksihfw |
| Kerala State Medical Councils (KSMC) | medicalcouncil |
| Kerala State Mental Health Authority (KSMHA) | www |
| Kerala State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (K-SOTTO) | ksotto |
| Kerala State Pharmacy Council (KSPC) | pharmacycouncil |
| Kerala University of Health Sciences (KUHS) | www |
| Malabar Cancer Centre (PGIOSR) | mcc |
| Regional Cancer Centre, Thiruvananthapuram | www |
| Regional Institute of Ophthalmology (RIO) | ioctn |
| State Health Agency Kerala (SHA) | sha |
| State Health Systems Resource Centre – Kerala (SHSRC-K) | shsrc |
| State Institute of Medical Education and Technology (SIMET) | simet |
| State TB Cell (NTEP) | ntep |
| Apex Trauma & Emergency Learning Centre (AT&ELC) |
Health infrastructure
The Directorate of Health Services (DHS) look after the administration and supervision of the following government hospitals and institutions. These institutions are governed by respective local-self government institutions.[12]
| Sl. No. | Institution / Category | Total | Ref.[13] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hospitals & Major Institutions | |||
| 1 | General Hospitals | 18 | [14] |
| 2 | District Hospitals | 18 | [14] |
| 3 | Taluk Head Quarter Hospitals | 48 | [14] |
| 4 | Taluk Hospitals | 40 | [14] |
| 5 | Community Health Centres | 185 | [14] |
| 6 | Community Health Centres converted to FHCs | 41 | [14] |
| 7 | 24×7 Primary Health Centres | 3 | [14] |
| 8 | 24×7 Primary Health Centres converted to FHCs | 156 | [14] |
| 9 | Primary Health Centres | 2 | [14] |
| 10 | Primary Health Centres converted to FHCs | 688 | [14] |
| 11 | District TB Centres | 14 | [14] |
| 12 | Mobile Unit/Dispensaries/Health Clinics | 49 | [14] |
| 13 | Women & Children Hospitals | 10 | [14] |
| 14 | Mental Health Centres | 3 | [14] |
| 15 | TB Hospitals | 4 | [14] |
| 16 | Leprosy Hospitals | 3 | [14] |
| 17 | Speciality Hospitals | 7 | [14] |
| Other Institutions | [13] | ||
| 18 | Schools of Nursing | 15 | |
| 19 | Training Centres | 10 | |
| 20 | Government Public Labs | 10 | |
| 21 | District Vector Control Units | 14 | |
| 22 | Others (DHS, DMOH, OFFSET Press) | 16 | |
| 23 | Health Subcentres | 5416 | |
See also
References
- ^ a b "Health & Family Welfare Department - Government of Kerala". health.kerala.gov.in. Archived from the original on 2024-06-01. Retrieved 2025-11-08.
- ^ "Kerala Council of Ministers - Kerala Legislative Assembly". niyamasabha.nic.in. Retrieved 2025-11-08.
- ^ Rajput, Kajal (2025-11-10). "Kerala Govt to meet Medical College Teachers' Association ahead of strike".
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ PTI (2025-10-27). "World Bank approves USD 400 million loan for Kerala health system upgrade". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2025-11-14.
- ^ "Opposition demands Kerala health minister's resignation after Kottayam hospital collapse". Hindustan Times. 2025-07-05. Retrieved 2025-11-14.
- ^ a b Rules of Business of Government of Kerala – Part II: First Schedule
- ^ Bureau, The Hindu (2025-10-04). "State Drugs Control department stops sale of Coldrif in Kerala". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2025-11-14.
{{cite news}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ a b "dhs – Directorate of Health Services". Retrieved 2025-11-08.
- ^ a b "DME – OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF DIRECTORATE OF MEDICAL EDUCATION". dme.kerala.gov.in. Retrieved 2025-11-08.
- ^ a b "Kerala Health Department". health.kerala.gov.in. Retrieved 2026-01-14.
- ^ "Kerala Health Department". health.kerala.gov.in. Retrieved 2026-01-14.
- ^ "Brochure - Directorate of Health Services - Health Infrastructure" (PDF).
- ^ a b "Reports – dhs". Retrieved 2025-11-11.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Health Information Cell (Statistics Division), Directorate Of Health Services (2025-11-11). "List Of Modern Medicine Institutions (2024 - 25)" (PDF). Retrieved 2025-11-11.