THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The IMA workshop said that a national policy emphasizing mental health activities is necessary in the context of more than 3000 suicides that happened in Kerala in three years.

The IMA Health Workshop is to prepare the National Health Roadmap 2050 with the objective of preparing the country to meet new challenges in the field of health.

There is a need for strong social intervention with the prevalence of non-communicable diseases alongside communicable diseases. People should be provided with good food and opportunities for exercise should be created. A demand has also been raised to devise schemes that provide special protection to the differently abled, those with genetic disorders and the elderly. The Health Manifesto focuses on communicable diseases, non-communicable diseases, digital health and one health. A draft of the Trivandrum Declaration to be presented at the National Conference was prepared at the workshop held at the IMA headquarters.

Former Health Ministers PK Sreemathy, VS Shivakumar, KK Shailaja, M Vincent MLA, TKA Nair, former Planning Board Member Vijayaraghavan, former DGP Jacob Punnoose, Medical Education Director Dr. Thomas Mathew, IMA Designated National President Dr. RV Asokan, Dr. SS Lal, Dr. B. Iqbal Dr. Sreejith N Kumar, Dr. Zulfi Nuhu, Dr. GS Vijayakrishnan, Dr. A Altaf, Dr. John Panicker and others participated.