2 October 2026
Applications for the Master of Public Health course may be submitted until October 17, 2026.
The entrance examination will be held on October 24, 2026 at Thiruvananthapuram.
The application fee is Rs 1,800 for general candidates and Rs 900 for candidates in the scheduled categories, payable online or by challan at Federal Bank branches.
Eligibility is a minimum of 50 per cent marks in a medical degree such as MBBS, BDS, BAMS, BHMS, BUMS or BSMS with State Council registration, or in B.Sc Nursing, B.Pharm or B.Sc Allied Medical with State Council registration, or a regular B.Sc Veterinary degree from Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University or another recognised university, or a pass with 50 per cent marks from the Kerala University of Health Sciences having studied public health as a subject at degree or postgraduate level.
Details are published on www.lbscentre.kerala.gov.in and enquiries are taken on 0471 2560361 to 364.
Last date to apply:
October 17, 2026
Entrance examination:
October 24, 2026, Thiruvananthapuram
Application fee, general:
Rs 1,800
Application fee, scheduled categories:
Rs 900
Why it matters for exams: Admission notifications with dates and fee slabs are routinely lifted into Kerala PSC and State-level current affairs sets.
Kerala PSC
In plain words
MPH Master of Public Health — A postgraduate course on population health, epidemiology and health administration.
LBS Centre LBS Centre for Science and Technology — A Kerala government autonomous body that conducts entrance examinations and professional courses.
2 October 2026
Health Minister K Muraleedharan announced that Kerala will bring in legislation to regulate treatment costs in private hospitals.
A four-member committee headed by the Principal Secretary, Health, will prepare the draft Bill. Its other members are the Director of Health Services, the Director of Medical Education and the Managing Director of Kerala Medical Services Corporation Ltd.
The proposed law will cover medicine prices, charges for laboratory tests, CT and MRI scans, room rent and the cost of procedures and interventions.
Patients are to be told the expected cost of treatment in advance, and bills must set out every charge item by item.
Medicines supplied by private hospitals are to be priced below the maximum retail price.
The Minister said some hospitals are exploiting poor people excessively, and that many people approach the government for help after receiving private hospital bills they cannot pay.
Committee size:
Four members
Chair:
Principal Secretary, Health
Minister:
K Muraleedharan
Medicine pricing rule proposed:
Below maximum retail price
Why it matters for exams: Price regulation of private healthcare is a live governance theme and the committee's composition is an easy factual question.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
KMSCL Kerala Medical Services Corporation Ltd — The State agency that procures medicines and equipment for government hospitals.
MRP Maximum retail price — The highest price at which a packaged product may legally be sold to a consumer.
1 October 2026
A notice published on 1 October 2026 invites applications for the Master of Public Health course until 17 October. The application fee is Rs 1,800 for the general category and Rs 900 for the Scheduled category (SC/ST), payable online or at a Federal Bank branch with a challan. Eligible applicants include degree holders in MBBS, BDS, BAMS, BHMS, BUMS or BSMS with at least 50 per cent marks and state council registration. The entrance examination will be held on 24 October 2026 in Thiruvananthapuram. Applications are made through the LBS Centre website, www.lbscentre.kerala.gov.in.
Last date to apply:
17 October 2026
Entrance exam:
24 October 2026
Fee (General / Scheduled category):
₹1,800 / ₹900
Why it matters for exams: Admission deadlines and eligibility rules are useful for candidates in health and public-health streams.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
LBS Centre LBS Centre for Science and Technology — A Kerala government agency that runs admission and entrance processes.
1 October 2026
On International Day of Older Persons, 1 October 2026, the Government of Kerala published a note on a new direction for senior citizen welfare. An order has been issued forming a Department of Senior Citizens, separated from the Social Justice Department. The note says Kerala is the first state in India to form a Senior Citizens Commission; a chairperson and four members have been appointed under the Kerala State Senior Citizens Commission Act (2025), and the commission's work includes implementing the provisions of the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007. A first-in-India 'Age-Friendly Office Certification' scheme has begun, under which offices are to receive Gold, Silver or Bronze status after assessment. A six-month Care Giver Certificate Course through nursing colleges and selected hospitals and a 'Dementia-Friendly Kerala' programme are also mentioned.
Day of the note:
1 October 2026 (International Day of Older Persons)
Certification tiers:
Gold, Silver, Bronze
Care Giver course:
Six months
Why it matters for exams: Kerala PSC regularly asks about welfare departments, commissions and the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
MWPSC Act Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007 — A central law making children and relatives responsible for maintaining senior citizens.
1 October 2026
The enduring radioactive legacy of US nuclear bomb testing in the Marshall Islands took centre stage at the UN Human Rights Council on Thursday, 1 October 2026.
Addressing the impact of 67 known tests conducted between 1946 and 1958, UN deputy rights chief Awa Dabo said it lives on in the bodies of Marshallese people, in "lands poisoned and communities displaced".
She said justice must be served for the people unable to return to the contaminated atolls, and that the health consequences include elevated rates of cancer.
Ms. Dabo said Marshallese communities have the right to an effective remedy, and called on US authorities to declassify information about data on radiation exposure and testing records.
The page adds that the health consequences of repeated nuclear testing were also highlighted this week at a high-level General Assembly meeting.
Known nuclear tests:
67
Testing period:
1946-1958
Speaker:
Awa Dabo, UN deputy rights chief
Why it matters for exams: Nuclear testing, the Human Rights Council and the right to remedy are recurring themes in world-affairs and human-rights questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Atoll A ring-shaped coral island — The Marshall Islands are made up of coral atolls; some contaminated ones cannot be resettled.
1 October 2026
The State government is preparing a Bill to regulate treatment costs in private hospitals, Health Minister K. Muraleedharan said.
A four-member committee headed by the Principal Secretary (Health) will draft the recommendations.
The other members are the Director of Medical Education, the Director of Health Services and the Managing Director of the Kerala Medical Services Corporation Ltd (KMSCL).
It will examine charges for medicines, diagnostic tests, room rent and procedures, and whether private hospitals can buy medicines through KMSCL.
Proposed measures include telling patients the expected cost before treatment and showing every item and its charge in the bill.
Extending government-sponsored health insurance to more private hospitals will also be examined.
Committee size:
Four
Committee chair:
Principal Secretary (Health)
Health Minister:
K. Muraleedharan
Why it matters for exams: Health governance and State legislation on private-sector charges are standard Kerala PSC polity and health current-affairs topics.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
KMSCL Kerala Medical Services Corporation Ltd — The State agency that procures medicines and equipment for government health facilities.
1 October 2026
A key transit centre for patients needing Ebola treatment burned down in Kigonze camp, Ituri province, eastern DR Congo, on the evening of 29 September 2026, the UN said on 1 October.
Julien Harneis, the UN's senior Ebola response official in the DRC, said: "when we lose a centre, that means we lose capacity, we lose investment and we have to start again".
The camp sheltered some 19,000 people fleeing violence; it now lies abandoned after thousands fled following reports that soldiers had entered searching for weapons.
Ebola has spread across seven provinces since the public health emergency was declared in mid-May; this is the country's 17th outbreak.
Fighting in Ituri has also delayed the transport of laboratory samples and disrupted the transfer of confirmed patients.
Province:
Ituri
People sheltered in the camp:
some 19,000
Provinces affected by the outbreak:
seven
Why it matters for exams: Outbreaks in conflict zones and the UN's emergency health response are standard health and world-affairs topics.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
OCHA UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs — The UN aid coordination office that tracks displacement and access in the DRC.
1 October 2026
Inaugurating the State-level International Day of Older Persons event at Ayyankali Hall, Thiruvananthapuram, Chief Minister V D Satheesan said a comprehensive law will be introduced in the Assembly to secure senior-citizen care as a legal right.
He noted that Kerala is the first State in the country to form a separate department for senior citizens, and cited a study projecting about 38 per cent of the population as senior citizens by 2036.
A Governing Council chaired by the Chief Minister, an expert technical advisory committee, a directorate and district-level Senior Citizens Cells will be set up.
A digital registry from a State-wide survey, a Vulnerability Registry, a 24-hour helpline, a Dementia-Friendly Kerala project and caregiver courses in medical institutions from the next academic year were also announced.
Retired experts will serve as Techno Mentors in startups and MSMEs under the 'silver economy' approach.
Projected senior share by 2036:
about 38 per cent
Council chaired by:
Chief Minister
Helpline:
24 hours
Venue:
Ayyankali Hall, Thiruvananthapuram
Why it matters for exams: Welfare departments, legislation and ageing-population data feature regularly in Kerala PSC general knowledge and social-justice questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Silver economy — An approach that treats older people's experience and spending as an economic resource.
Vulnerability Registry — A planned list of older people who need special attention and care.
1 October 2026
Three blood centres in Malappuram district won six State awards from the Kerala State Blood Transfusion Council, presented in Thiruvananthapuram on October 1, 2026, National Voluntary Blood Donation Day, by Health Minister K. Muraleedharan. The blood centre at Manjeri Government Medical College took two awards, for the highest collection through voluntary donation camps in the medical college category and for implementing the Blood Bag Traceability Project. The Perinthalmanna District Hospital blood bank took three awards, for the highest voluntary donation at the district hospital level with 12,885 units, for organising the most camps with 255 camps yielding 8,262 units, and for the second phase of the Blood Bag Traceability Project. The Nilambur District Hospital blood bank came first among district hospitals in implementing the traceability project. The traceability system records every stage from collection to transfusion so that each blood bag can be traced back.
Awards to Malappuram centres:
6
Perinthalmanna voluntary donation:
12,885 units
Camps organised at Perinthalmanna:
255 camps, 8,262 units
Why it matters for exams: National Voluntary Blood Donation Day and the State Blood Transfusion Council recur in Kerala PSC health and awards questions.
Kerala PSC
In plain words
KSBTC Kerala State Blood Transfusion Council — The State body that regulates and supports blood banks and voluntary donation in Kerala.
Blood Bag Traceability Blood Bag Traceability Project — A record system that tracks a blood bag from collection to the patient who receives it.
1 October 2026
A transit centre for people needing Ebola treatment, in the Kigonze camp in Ituri province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, was destroyed by fire on the evening of 29 September 2026.
Julien Harneis, the UN's senior Ebola response official in the country, said that when a centre is lost, capacity and investment are lost and the work has to start again, and above all people do not get the care they need.
The outbreak has recorded more than 8,000 confirmed infections including 4,000 deaths across seven provinces since the emergency was declared in mid-May 2026.
Ituri remains the epicentre of the outbreak, and Ituri's own Mongala health region has reported 346 confirmed cases and 149 deaths since the first infection was detected on 18 May.
The Kigonze camp had sheltered some 19,000 people fleeing violence in the east of the country and now lies abandoned, thousands having fled in recent days.
Confirmed infections since mid-May 2026:
more than 8,000
Deaths:
4,000
Provinces affected:
7
Mongala health region (in Ituri):
346 confirmed cases, 149 deaths
Why it matters for exams: Outbreak geography and case-fatality figures are standard objective material, and this one adds the UN response structure in a conflict setting.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
transit centre transit centre for suspected cases — A facility where people with suspected Ebola are isolated and assessed before being moved to a treatment unit.
Background
The Managing Director of the Kerala Medical Services Corporation Limited is one of the four members of the panel the State has set up to draft a law on private hospital treatment costs, which makes the corporation itself worth knowing.
KMSCL was incorporated on 28 December 2007 and works under the Department of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Kerala.
It is the central procurement agency for essential drugs and medical equipment for the State's public health institutions.
It procures drugs worth more than Rs 600 crores and supplies above 400 different types of medical equipment.
It serves over 1,300 public healthcare institutions in the State.
It runs the Karunya Community Pharmacies, which sell medicines at subsidised rates, and the KANIV 108 Ambulance Project for emergency medical and trauma care.
It is a fully government-owned company under the Companies Act, with divisions for essential drugs, equipment services, quality control and supply chain management.
Incorporated:
28 December 2007
Drug procurement:
more than Rs 600 crores
Institutions served:
over 1,300
Why it matters for exams: The year a State corporation was incorporated, its parent department and the schemes it runs are standard Kerala PSC institution questions.
Kerala PSC
In plain words
KMSCL Kerala Medical Services Corporation Limited — Kerala's central agency for buying drugs and medical equipment for public health institutions.
1 October 2026
At the state-level observance of the International Day of Older Persons, Health Minister K Muraleedharan said 300 new 108 ambulances with ICU facilities will be put on the road within two weeks.
Special teams will visit the homes of bedridden patients for the detection of diseases, including cancer.
A comprehensive health care action plan for the elderly has been handed to Chief Minister V D Satheesan.
The Minister also spoke of steps to involve isolated older people in community development activities.
Transport Minister C P John said at the same function that the elderly are not a burden but a possibility within the silver economy, and that the government will implement plans for those whose income sources and physical capacity have reduced.
New 108 ambulances:
300, with ICU facilities
Timeline announced:
Within two weeks
Occasion:
International Day of Older Persons
Why it matters for exams: A dated, numbered commitment on emergency medical services, announced at a named international observance, is easy to frame as a one-mark question.
Kerala PSC
In plain words
Silver economy Silver economy — The economic activity generated by the needs and spending of older people.
1 October 2026
Health Minister K Muraleedharan said the Trop T test, which identifies a heart attack early, will be made free for the Below Poverty Line category.
He was inaugurating the World Heart Day celebration held at the AMCHSS auditorium of the Sree Chitra Thirunal Institute for Medical Science and Technology on 29 September 2026.
The aim is to ensure effective heart testing for ordinary people as well, and accurate results may be hard to obtain from an ECG and similar tests, the Minister said.
Medical camps organised by private hospitals are often beyond the reach of ordinary people, and the government will encourage medical camps for those at the lowest strata of society, he said.
The government will ensure the availability of medicines and will not allow anyone to take a commission in the name of medicine, the Minister said.
He added that the people had taken up Operation Thoofan, launched against drugs.
Institute Director Dr Sanjay Behari presided over the function.
Test to be made free:
Trop T test
Beneficiary group:
BPL category
Occasion:
World Heart Day celebration, AMCHSS auditorium, Sree Chitra Thirunal Institute for Medical Science and Technology
Announced by:
Health Minister K Muraleedharan
Date:
29 September 2026
Why it matters for exams: Which test a State makes free, for which group and on which occasion is standard Kerala PSC health-scheme material, and Operation Thoofan is a current State campaign name.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
BPL Below Poverty Line — The category for which the Trop T test is to be made free under this announcement.
ECG Electrocardiogram — The common heart test the Minister said may not always give an accurate result.
Background
A study has found that Melye-amiley, a traditional fermented bamboo shoot variety from Tripura, possesses an anti-obesity property.
The work was carried out at the Institute of Advanced Study in Science and Technology (IASST), an autonomous institute under the Department of Science & Technology, and was led by Prof. Mojibur R. Khan.
The extract can reduce intracellular lipid accumulation through increased expression of lipolytic genes such as HSL and LPL and of fat-browning regulators including UCP1, PRDM16 and PGC1-alpha.
The treatment activates thermogenic protein expression via the AMPK signalling pathway, stimulating mitochondrial biogenesis and enhancing fatty acid beta-oxidation.
This boosts energy expenditure in white adipocytes, offering an option for weight management and metabolic health.
The findings were published in the journal Food Frontiers.
Fermented bamboo shoot:
Melye-amiley
Institute:
Institute of Advanced Study in Science and Technology (IASST)
Study led by:
Prof. Mojibur R. Khan
Signalling pathway:
AMPK
Journal:
Food Frontiers
Why it matters for exams: Tripura's bamboo economy and the institutes of the Department of Science & Technology are both standard exam ground, and this study links the two.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
IASST Institute of Advanced Study in Science and Technology — An autonomous research institute under the Department of Science & Technology that works on North East India's bioresources.
Fat browning Fat browning — The conversion of energy-storing white fat cells towards heat-producing brown-like cells, which raises energy expenditure.
1 October 2026
Tripura's Transport Department organised a 'Rahveer' or 'Good Samaritan' programme at the Secretariat on 30 September 2026.
Transport Minister Sushanta Chowdhury presented a cash award of Rs. 25,000 and certificates to the awardees.
The awardees had played an important role in saving the lives of road accident victims by ensuring their prompt transportation to hospitals.
The awards were presented to Kajal Debnath, Prasenjit Bhowmik, Ashesh Das, Khurshid Mia, Ajit Das, Satyajit Kumar Shil, Satyaranjan Debnath and Latika Sinha.
The Minister said that helping an injured person involved in a road accident by promptly taking them to a hospital is not merely a sense of duty but an outstanding example of humanity.
He said the sense of humanitarian responsibility shown by those who come forward to save human lives serves as an inspiration to society.
Cash award:
Rs. 25,000
Awardees:
Eight
Minister:
Sushanta Chowdhury, Transport Minister
Programme name:
'Rahveer' or 'Good Samaritan'
Date:
30 September 2026
Why it matters for exams: Good Samaritan rewards are a recurring road-safety governance question, and the scheme's Hindi name and award amount are both askable.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Good Samaritan Good Samaritan — A bystander who voluntarily helps a road accident victim, for example by taking them to hospital without expecting reward.
1 October 2026
A paper titled 'Sugar-rich foods exacerbate antibiotic-induced microbiome disruption' was published in the journal Nature on 30 September 2026. The study found that the intake of sweets and sugars during antibiotic exposure predicted exacerbated microbial dysbiosis, manifesting as lowered alpha-diversity and greater expansion of the pathobiont Enterococcus. Experiments in mice also showed that sucrose supplementation increased and prolonged antibiotic-induced Enterococcus expansion. The authors conclude that avoiding a diet rich in simple sugars during antibiotic treatment may mitigate microbiota disruption.
Journal:
Nature
Published:
30 September 2026
Pathobiont that expanded:
Enterococcus
Sugar used in mouse experiments:
Sucrose
Why it matters for exams: Gut microbiome, dysbiosis and antimicrobial topics recur in science and health sections of competitive examinations.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Dysbiosis Microbial dysbiosis — An imbalance in the community of microbes living in the gut, often following antibiotic use.
Pathobiont Pathobiont — A microbe that normally lives harmlessly in the body but can cause disease when conditions change.
1 October 2026
Justice Harisankar V Menon allowed a couple who had crossed the age limit under the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Act, 2021 to continue in vitro fertilisation treatment.
The couple had exceeded the age ceiling set by Section 21(g) of the Act, and the hospital declined to provide the treatment they sought.
The court required them to file a notarised undertaking accepting all risks, consequences and liabilities of the procedure.
The judge followed a Punjab and Haryana High Court ruling of May 2026 that had granted similar relief on the same conditions.
Provision:
Section 21(g), ART (Regulation) Act, 2021
Condition imposed:
Notarised undertaking accepting all risks
Why it matters for exams: The ART Act's age ceiling and how courts have read it is a frequently asked law-and-society point.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
ART Assisted Reproductive Technology — Medical techniques such as IVF used to achieve pregnancy, regulated in India by a 2021 Act.
IVF In vitro fertilisation — Fertilisation of an egg by sperm outside the body, after which the embryo is transferred to the womb.
1 October 2026
Justice Viju Abraham held that the mandatory one-year senior residency obligation of postgraduate doctors from government medical colleges begins on the date the examination result is published, and not on the date they are actually posted.
The judge said the obligation starts from the date of publication of the result irrespective of whether a posting could be granted soon after.
The court described postgraduate doctors being left idle without a posting as a national waste.
The government was directed to decide within one month whether to create supernumerary posts for the petitioners or to relieve them of the bond obligation.
The judgment is reported as 2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 539 in WP(C) Nos. 25441 and 9651 of 2026.
The court referred to the earlier Division Bench decision in Ayisha Beegam v. State of Kerala.
Bond period:
One year
Time given to government:
One month
Citation:
2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 539
Why it matters for exams: Service bonds in government medical education and the courts' reading of them recur in Kerala current affairs.
Kerala PSC
In plain words
Senior residency Senior residency — A period of service a postgraduate medical graduate performs in a hospital after completing the PG course.
Supernumerary post Supernumerary post — A post created over and above the sanctioned strength, usually for a limited purpose or period.
30 September 2026
Justice Viju Abraham of the Kerala High Court has held that the compulsory one-year senior residency bond for postgraduate medical graduates of government colleges in Kerala runs from the date the result is published, and not from the date a posting is actually given.
The judgment in George Balu and Ors. v. State of Kerala and Baddevolu Priyanka and Ors. v. State of Kerala, WP(C) Nos. 25441 and 9651 of 2026, is reported as 2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 539.
The Court described postgraduate doctors sitting idle at home without a posting, unable to work outside government service, as a 'national waste'.
It recorded that almost eight months had passed after the 23 petitioners completed their bond period.
The State was directed to decide within one month whether to create supernumerary posts for them or to release them from the service obligation.
The petitioners are from the 2022 batch, and the squeeze arose from overlapping 2021 and 2022 admission batches competing for about 600 senior residency vacancies.
Judge:
Justice Viju Abraham
Petitioners:
23
Time given to the State:
one month
Citation:
2026 LiveLaw (Ker) 539
Why it matters for exams: The ruling fixes when a government medical service bond begins to run, a recurring question on service bonds and State obligations.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Senior residency Post-postgraduate residency service — A period of hospital service that postgraduate medical graduates owe the State under a bond.
Supernumerary post A post created above the sanctioned strength — A temporary post added beyond the approved number of posts to accommodate particular persons.
30 September 2026
Justice Harisankar V Menon of the Kerala High Court allowed a married couple to continue IVF treatment in WP(C) No. 28787 of 2026.
The wife, aged 50, had passed the age limit in Section 21(g) of the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Act, 2021.
The court allowed treatment to continue on a notarised undertaking before the Kerala State ART and Surrogacy Board that they will bear all risks, consequences and liabilities.
The court noted a similar order of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
LiveLaw reported the decision on 30 September 2026.
Case:
WP(C) No. 28787 of 2026
Provision:
Section 21(g), ART Act, 2021
Judge:
Justice Harisankar V Menon
Why it matters for exams: Judgments interpreting statutes like the ART Act 2021 are favoured in law, polity and Kerala PSC current affairs.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
ART Assisted Reproductive Technology — Techniques such as IVF that help conception outside the body.