Congress stages state-wide protests in front of medical colleges in Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram | Opposition Congress on Tuesday conducted a state-wide protest in Kerala, accusing the Left government of destroying the health sector and alleging a shortage of surgical equipment in state-run hospitals.

Senior party leaders led the protests in front of medical colleges in various districts and highlighted the alleged shortcomings there. The protest dharna and the march were organised under the aegis of the respective District Congress Committees.

AICC general secretary K C Venugopal, who inaugurated the state-level protest in front of Pariyayam Medical College in northern Kannur district, alleged that the health sector of the state is on life support and the state-run hospitals have become places to make common people suffer.

The present strike by the Congress party is an indication of agitations coming up in the future, raising various issues of common people, he said.

Criticising Health Minister Veena George, he said instead of trivialising the issues in the health sector, calling it a part of system failure, efforts should be taken to resolve it.

KPCC Chief Sunny Joseph, who took part in the protest in Kannur, said even poor people were forced to depend upon private hospitals due to the issues in state-run hospitals and medical colleges in the state.

Echoing similar views, Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan, who inaugurated the protest in Ernakulam, also alleged that medical colleges and hospitals in Kerala are facing a scarcity of essential medicines.

Not just poor people but even those belonging to the middle class and upper middle class are depending upon government hospitals and medical colleges to a great extent in the state, he said.

Various senior leaders, including Adoor Prakash, Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, P C Vishnunath, and Kodikkunnil Suresh, took part in the protest in various districts, party sources said.

The Congress conducted the state-wide protest a day after the party-led UDF formed a five-member commission to study the issues being faced by the state health sector.

The UDF announced the formation of the Health Commission in the wake of open criticism by Dr Haris Chirakkal, Head of the Urology Department, about a shortage of surgical equipment and delays in procedures at the state-run Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital.

The controversy erupted on Saturday after Dr Chirakkal posted on Facebook, saying the greatest helplessness of a department head in a government hospital was the lack of essential medical equipment.

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He revealed that many scheduled surgeries had been postponed due to the shortage, and that repeated assurances from authorities had failed to resolve the issue.

While patients suffering from severe pain waited for timely treatment, officials showed little interest in addressing the situation, he alleged.

He also said he had been under immense mental stress, unable to fulfil his responsibilities to patients who depend on government hospitals.

Following his comments, Director of Medical Education Dr Vishwanathan K told the media that Dr Chirakkal's statements were "misleading and an emotional outburst"