Kozhikode: Kidney patients' welfare society denies allegations

MALAPPURAM: Coming down heavily on local self-government Minister K.T. Jaleel on Monday, the Kidney Patients’ Welfare Society (KPWS), a charity initiative of the Malappuram district panchayat, on Monday rubbished all the allegations raised by the minister who refused to renew a government order which allows the local bodies to donate fund for KPWS. The spat between the duo had earlier taken an ugly turn when the minister posted a note on Facebook on the alleged lack of transparency and statutory auditing of funds in the functioning of the society which is meant to support financially vulnerable kidney patients in district.

The convener of the KPWS Ummer Arakkal said that the functioning of the society was transparent and alleged political motivation behind the minister’s move. Mr Jaleel had on Saturday made it clear that the government would issue a notification to allow civic bodies to give donations only after a complete audit of the fund transactions and functioning of the KPWS. “The society which works as an independent entity under the aegis of Malappuram district panchayath, has been providing financial support to around 4,000 kidney patients across the district. Contributions from local bodies were the major relief to the organisation to purchase medicine and provide financial support to the patients,” Mr. Arakkal said. “KPWS is a registered organisation and its fund transactions have been audited regularly by chartered accountants and utilisation certificate is given to local body as per the government norms,” he said. With no new notification has been issued allowing local bodies to contribute, the functions of the society have almost come to a halt and become a blow to hundreds of patients.