U.S. Consul General, Chennai, Judith Ravin met Health Minister Veena George here on Wednesday to follow up on the discussions regarding the setting up of an institution on the lines of the U.S. Centres for Disease Control (CDC) in Kerala.
An official press release issued by the office of the Health Minister said that Ms. Ravin “assured U.S. participation and support ” in the State’s health sector.
The statement said that Ms. Ravin had held discussions with the Chief Minister about the possibility of setting up a CDC-modelled institution in Kerala and how it could be linked with the CDC in the U.S.
Ms. Ravin was appreciative of the COVID-19 management by Kerala. Discussions were held on vaccine manufacturing in Kerala, the employment prospects for health workers in the U.S., making the recruitment process of doctors and nurses from Kerala in the U.S. easier.
Ms. Ravin expressed happiness that the Minister had earlier participated in the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), a professional exchange programme of the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, the statement said.
Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Asha Thomas, Principal Secretary Rajan Khobragade were present.
