Provide quality insulin to children with Type 1 diabetes: Keralam child panel

The Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights has ordered the Health and Social Justice departments to ensure quality insulin for children with Type 1 diabetes. The commission instructed the Health Director, Social Justice Secretary, and Kerala Social Security Mission (KSSM) Executive Director to implement measures to provide high-quality medicines and benefits in line with the 2018 KSSM scheme.

The KSSM Executive Director must revert any alterations made to the Mittayi scheme in the 2025-26 financial year and take action to deliver the same medicines and benefits that were given during the Mittayi clinics' inception. The Mittayi scheme aimed to offer comprehensive support and ongoing treatment for children and adolescents with Type 1 diabetes via Mittayi clinics.

A K.V. Manoj Kumar-led commission, comprising former chairperson K.V. Manoj Kumar and members Shajesh Bhaskar and Wilson F., was responding to a complaint from Bushra Shihab and others from the Type 1 Diabetes Foundation (Kerala) and Abdul Jaleel P.T. of the Type 1 Diabetic Welfare Society. The commission requested a progress report within 45 days.

The petitioners contended that low-quality insulin had been distributed through the Mittayi scheme for over a year and a half, negatively impacting children's health and education due to diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). They alleged that the previous Left Democratic Front (LDF) government had cited financial constraints as the reason for switching to rapid-acting insulin instead of regular insulin.

Despite numerous complaints, authorities stated that regular insulin would not be accessible for an entire month. Parents of children with Type 1 diabetes expressed frustration over unresolved issues.