The State government is ready with an action plan to prevent the recurrence of chikungunya and other epidemics, Health Minister P.K. Sreemathy told the Assembly on Monday. Answering a submission from Kerala Congress (M) leader K.M. Mani, she said the government had sanctioned a sum of Rs.48.3 crore to the local bodies specially for cleaning operations and other precautionary measures to check the proliferation of mosquitoes, which spread diseases such as chikungunya. Since the outbreak of the disease last year, the government had brought together experts and health officials for several seminars and workshops to discuss the best strategy to combat the disease. The action plan evolved from these discussions. The Health Department had also prepared a treatment protocol for the disease, she added. She countered Mr. Mani's criticism about "inaction on the part of the government in the face of fresh threats of the disease outbreak' by stating that the maladies caused by poor public hygiene were not the creation of the Left Democratic Front government. She attributed the problem to the "neglect of the health sector during the time of the previous government.' Earlier, answering a question, the Minister said 116 community health centres in the State will be modernised according to the national public health standards. The centres would have casualty, labour room and operation theatre which functioned round the clock. Hindustan Latex Limited (HLL) prepared the estimate and work had begun in 17 centres. A corruption was registered against a doctor in Thiruvananthapuram Medical College. Five doctors were suspended from service in S.A.T. Hospital during the past five years. One case each was registered against doctors in Alappuzha and Kottayam Medical College hospitals and four cases against doctors in hospitals which came under the Directorate of Health Services. No decision was taken on the private practice of government doctors.