Veena visits Bindhu's kin, assures aid

Kottayam : A day after opposition parties staged statewide protests demanding her resignation, health minister Veena George visited the family of D Bindu , the 52-year-old woman who had died after a portion of a building at the Government Medical College Hospital , Kottayam, collapsed three days ago.

George reached Bindu's residence in Thalayolaparambu early on Sunday and spent time with her grieving family, including Bindhu's mother, husband, and children. Bindu had been staying at the hospital to care for her daughter, who was admitted as an inpatient, when she was trapped under the debris.

The minister assured the family that the govt would cover the full cost of their daughter's surgery, with further treatment decisions to be taken after a medical board meeting on Monday. She added that the state would also consider the family's other demands, including compensation and a job for Bindu's son.

"As far as I'm concerned, this family's sorrow is my sorrow. I met her husband, mother, and other relatives and shared their grief. The govt will stand by them in every possible way," George said, adding that chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan would announce the relief measures after a state cabinet decision.

Bindu's husband, Visruthan, said that the family was hopeful about govt support and stated that the family is satisfied with the interventions made by the authorities. CPM state committee member K Anil Kumar, who accompanied the minister, also promised assistance for completing the family's house construction.

Meanwhile, Kottayam MLA Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan demanded Rs 25 lakh in compensation for the family, a permanent job for Bindu's son and free treatment for her daughter. At a press conference, he said the hospital management committee hadn't met in two years. "Yet funds were spent. The public deserves an explanation," he said.

He also called for the immediate commissioning of 12 operation theatres, highlighting that only four are functional and two of those lack sterility. "Ward 26 is leaking, a new building caught fire in 2023 and safety regulations were ignored," he alleged.

UDF leader Ramesh Chennithala, who also visited Bindu's home, demanded a safety audit of all state govt hospital buildings. He criticized the health minister for fearing protests and avoiding a daylight visit to Bindu's residence. "People are unhappy with the health department's reckless actions," he stated. "There's no medicine or basic supplies, forcing doctors to treat poor patients only if they bring their own. We have good doctors, but what can they do without medicines?"