Kerala Govt to provide succor to family of woman who died in hospital block collapse

Kottayam, July 5 (IANS) The husband of Bindu, the 56-year-old lady who was killed after a toilet block of the Kottayam Medical College hospital came down on Thursday, said the state government has assured the family of all help.

Speaking to the media on Saturday, he said State Cooperation Minister V.N. Vasavan who visited their home has assured all help.

“We have been assured that the treatment to my daughter going on at the Kottayam Medical College Hospital will be taken over by the Kerala government. My son has just completed his engineering course and had got his first salary when the tragedy happened. We have sought a proper job for him. A lump sum has also been assured and the Kerala Cabinet will decide on it,” said the husband.

He also said Chandy Oommen, the Congress legislator and son of former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has assured a sum of Rs 5 lakh from his late father’s Charity Foundation.

“Bindu was the sole breadwinner of our family. We got huge support during our time of grief. I feel this huge support of humanity is because she was a good soul and the good she did is coming back to us,” wailed the husband who despite his poor health, works as a casual labourer whenever he is in a position to go to work.

Both Bindu, her husband and their daughter who was to have undergone a surgery, were in the hospital when Bindu went to the toilet of the hospital and it collapsed, leaving her trapped underneath.

There is huge public ire against Vasavan and State Health Minister Veena George, who after reaching the place said that just two people suffered minor injuries and no one was buried under the debris.

However, Chandy Oommen raised an alarm and said there might be someone under the debris and after that the rescue operations began and Bindu's body was retrieved.

Since then there has been a huge outcry, and calls for the resignation of journalist-turned-politician George for her abject failure in handling the health department have peaked.

Things went for a toss when hours after CPI-M state secretary M.V. Govindan blamed the media and the Opposition parties for leveling baseless allegations against the government health sector, came the news that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is to leave for his medical treatment to the US.

His trip to the US, when he himself claims that the standard of healthcare is better than the best, has become the butt of jokes in the social media as people have started to ask 'if Kerala is best, then why is CM Vijayan going to the US?'

Even when the calls for the resignation of George are in the air as the Opposition is on a warpath, the CPI-M has strongly defended George and has ruled out her resignation.

--IANS

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