The Kerala High Court on Friday directed the State government to issue within two weeks a circular notifying the guidelines for schools on basic health care and snakebite management.
Detailed guidelines in this regard were formulated at a meeting of a high-level committee headed by the Chief Secretary earlier this month, covering preventive and emergency responses, mainly on snakebite incidents. The committee was tasked with readying a standard operating procedure and ought to meet at least twice a year. It also had to oversee compliance and update the guidelines.
A Division Bench of Chief Justice Nitin Jamdar and Justice Sobha Annamma Eapen directed the government to publish the guidelines in both English and Malayalam and provide email IDs to people to give their suggestions. In addition, instructions ought to be issued to the government departments and agencies concerned, specifying their roles and responsibilities.
On their part, schools cannot be burdened with crucial tasks like ensuring the availability of antivenom, which clearly fell within the ambit of the government departments, the court said.
The directive came on a suo motu case it registered and on a petition filed by Kulathoor Jaisingh, an advocate, for augmenting basic infrastructure in schools and in hospitals where emergency care infra ought to be readied. Among others, the petitioners had sought a circular to exhibit the stock of emergency medicines before the pharmacy of hospitals. He cited an incident at a school in Malappuram in 2019 when a student died due to snakebite.
Amicus curiae G. Biju had cited the need to have a plan of action for the purpose in schools.
The court had in July issued a directive to convene a meeting of senior officers of the Health, Local Self-Governments, Forest, and Education departments to prepare comprehensive guidelines to ensure the safety of children.
Published – September 26, 2025 09:29 pm IST
