Thiruvananthapuram | Keralam Health Minister K Muraleedharan on Sunday said that the government will make available Risdiplam, the free medicine for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), at medical colleges in all districts of the state.

Muraleedharan, in a Facebook post, said that the medicine was currently being distributed only at the SMA clinics in the Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode medical college hospitals in the state.

He said that the Health Department's Additional Chief Secretary has been tasked with ensuring the availability of free medicine in all medical colleges in the state.

The minister said that the decision was taken to distribute the medicine through the paediatric department of all the medical colleges considering the hardship of patients and their parents who have to travel long distances to get Risdiplam.

He further said that while the medicine was currently available for free for children upto the age of 12 years, steps are being taken to provide it to all eligible patients irrespective of their age.

"It will be implemented soon," he added.

Muraleedharan said that the government intends to ensure that the treatment reaches the patient's doorstep and families do not have to travel long distances for it.

For this the government is aiming for a decentralised healthcare system that provides more relief to patients and families, he said.

He said that this model, which will start with the treatment of SMA, will be developed into a family-centered care system that will benefit other rare diseases and chronic diseases in children in the future.

"The government is committed to a health system that recognises the difficulties of each family and finds solutions to them," the minister said.

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a rare, inherited genetic condition that causes progressive muscle weakness and atrophy.