Health Department Revises DHS Transfer Order After Dr Reena Challenges False Claim

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Health Department has been forced to issue a revised transfer order dropping a false claim after Director of Health Services (DHS) Dr Reena publicly contradicted the government's justification for her transfer. The original order had stated that Dr Reena had applied for 15 days of leave — a claim she flatly denied, clarifying that she had sought leave for only two and a half days due to a physical ailment. She demanded that the government produce proof of the 15-day leave application.

Following her rebuttal, the Health Department quietly issued a corrected order omitting the false claim, now citing instead the initiation of appointment procedures for a new DHS as the reason for the transfer. The climbdown has deepened the controversy significantly.

Further compounding the damage, the Health Minister's remark that action was taken against Dr Reena because she had engaged in "undermining" conduct drew sharp criticism. The minister had also earlier alleged that Dr Reena had failed to inform him in advance about the Nipah test results — a charge that has now collapsed alongside the leave application claim. Dr Reena responded that she was shocked by the false portrayal of someone completing a long career in public service, and said such allegations should never have been made.

Former Health Ministers Veena George, K K Shailaja, and P K Sreemathi came out strongly against the government's decision, calling the transfer not merely a reassignment but a demotion. All three demanded the order be reversed, warning that sidelining Dr Reena — who had led exemplary containment efforts during the Nipah and Covid crises — at a time when Nipah, Shigella, and other infectious diseases are actively spreading across Kerala would seriously harm the Health Department's capacity to respond.