Kerala: CM Pinarayi Vijayan apologises to kin of accident victim denied treatment
Pinarayi Vijayan apologized to the family of Murugan, a labourer from Tamil Nadu, who met with accident but could not be saved as five hospitals allegedly refused to admit him
Bengaluru: Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday apologized to the family of Murugan, a 46-year-old migrant labourer from Tamil Nadu, who met with an accident on Monday and could not be saved because as many as five hospitals refused to admit him.
The ambulance driver who took Murugan to the hospitals and the victim’s family have alleged that they denied him treatment because they thought he couldn’t pay for it. The hospitals have denied the allegations.
The Kerala government on Wednesday ordered a probe into the incident which has raised a furore in the state. Kerala’s director general of police and health minister also accused the hospitals of blatant violation of medical ethics.
The issue was also raised in the assembly by the opposition Congress party. Responding to a debate, Vijayan said he was tendering an apology to Murugan’s family on behalf of the state and its people.
“Murugan, who met with an accident, was denied trauma care by some hospitals and died without receiving proper medical aid. We join them in their grief. Government will take necessary measures to ensure that such happenings will not be repeated. He also said that legislation, if required, will be considered," Vijayan later posted on Facebook. He also posted the same message in Tamil.
Regional media reports said Murugan, a native of Tirunelveli, was riding pillion on a bike when he met with an accident in Kottiyam, Kollam district, around 10.30pm on Monday. He was rushed to at least four private hospitals and a government-run medical college between Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram, but all of them refused to admit him, citing lack of facilities or proper doctors. Finally, at 6 am, on the way to another government hospital in Kollam, he died.
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