Amendment status not verified — confirm the current text below against the official source.
Duties and functions of Public Health Officer.—(1) The responsibility to implement the provisions of this Act in the State, District and Local levels shall be on the State Public Health Officer, the District Public Health Officer and the Local Public Health Officer respectively. (2) Government shall have the power to delegate to the State Public Health Officer the power to issue any direction, as it deem necessary, for the implementation of the activities under this Act in accordance with the Kerala Panchayath Raj Act, 1994 (13 of 1994) and the Kerala Municipality Act, 1994 (20 of 1994). (3) The State, the District and the Local Public Health Officers shall provide plan proposals relating to public health, while formulating the annual plans for the health sector by the State Government and Local Self Governments. Such suggestions shall be given based on the annual health report of their area of jurisdiction. (4) Action taken report shall be submitted every month by the Local Public Health Officer to the District Public Health Officer, by the District Public Health Officer to the State Public Health Officer and by the State Public Health Officer to the Government. (5) For attaining public health objectives, the State Public Health Officer shall prepare the methodology and the criteria for vector density studies, disease surveillance programmes, screening for specified diseases, clinical audit and death audit and guidelines regarding precautionary measures for prevention of communicable diseases and shall ensure its implementation. (6) The State Public Health Officer shall have the power to collect information on matters of public health from public and private healthcare institutions of the State. The State Public Health Officer shall make arrangements to evaluate the said information and on the basis of such evaluation shall give recommendation to the Government in policy matters in respect of public health and shall give directions to individuals, institutions and agencies related to public health matters. All public health officers and committees concerned shall ensure the protection and privacy of individual datas collected in this manner. (7) At the State Level, the State Public Health Officer through the Secretary of the Department and at the District or Local Level, the District Public Health Officer through the District Collector, may recommend to the State Government to declare public health emergency. The District Collector may declare public health emergency at district and local level subject to the sanction of the Government. (8) When it is satisfied that there is necessity to have a common protocol for the treatment or prevention of diseases notified under this Act or diseases included in the National Health Programmes, the State Public Health Officer shall with the assistance of experts determined by the Government, prepare recommendation and shall submit to the Government. 65 This is a digitally signed Gazette. Authenticity may be verified through https://compose.kerala.gov.in/ Such protocol as directed by the Government shall be followed by all Government and private healthcare providers and healthcare institutions. (9) The State Public Health Officer shall give recommendation to the State Public Health Committee for the fixation of health protocols, to be followed by the public for surveillance of diseases, prevention and control of communicable diseases, life style diseases, any other diseases that may be notified by the Government from time to time and health hazards.