AIADMK chief Palaniswami chides TN Health Minister as 'sports coach,' tells him to focus on work

AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on Tuesday flayed the DMK regime for alleged negligence in treating patients in government hospitals and demanded that Health Minister Ma Subramanian fully focus on his work to ensure proper care.

Palaniswami, the leader of opposition, cited allegations that a 3-year old child was wrongly treated for rabies when taken to the government medical college hospital in Kanyakumari for fever, and quoting media reports said the boy is now doing well following treatment in a private facility in Kerala.

He demanded action against those responsible for such 'wrongs.' The former CM sarcastically said since Subramanian does not find enough time to even inaugurate marathons there is no sufficient stock of medicine in government hospitals.

"It is doubtful; whether he is a health minister to protect people's welfare or a minister for developing sports." In a statement, Palaniswami said though Chief Minister MK Stalin's son Udhayanidhi is the sports minister, Subramanian is functioning as a 'sports coach.' Since the Health Minister did not pay attention to his department, people are suffering in view of insufficiency in state hospitals in providing care.

"At the least from now on, the Health Minister should fully focus on his department and take necessary steps to facilitate appropriate treatment to patients visiting government hospitals." The AIADMK leader also referred to recent instances like amputation of an arm of a toddler in a state-facility and said such was the 'apathy' in government hospitals in the DMK regime.

The government and doctors had repeatedly asserted that the amputation was a life-saving measure.

Palaniswami alleged that due to 'wrong treatment' the child's arm was cut and subsequently the toddler died.

"If a person goes (to a government hospital) for phlegm, he/she is given injection for dog bite. If a person really seeks treatment for dog bite, there is no injection available to treat it," Palaniswami alleged.