Kerala Minister’s remark on private hospital treatment puts LDF government in the spotlight

At a time when the state’s healthcare system is facing intense criticism, a recent statement by Saji Cherian, Kerala’s Minister for Fisheries, Culture and Youth Affairs, has put the state Health Department and the ruling LDF government in a tight spot.

On Monday, Minister Saji Cherian said that it is not unusual for ministers to seek treatment at private hospitals. Referring to his own experience, he said he had opted for private hospital care because he feared he might die due to the treatment at a government hospital.

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“In 2019, when I had dengue, I first went to a government hospital. When it seemed that I might die due to the treatment there, it was recommended that I be shifted to Amrita Hospital. I was unconscious for 14 days after I reached there. I survived. So, is Amrita Hospital a bad place? These are all well-established practices in this land,” Cherian said.

His remarks came as he attempted to defend the practice of ministers seeking treatment at private hospitals and to support Health Minister Veena George, who is facing criticism over the death of a woman following the collapse of a building at the Government Medical College Hospital in Kottayam.

The incident has sparked widespread outrage and renewed scrutiny of the state’s health infrastructure and the Health Minister’s leadership. Recently, the Head of the Urology Department at Thiruvananthapuram Medical College revealed that surgeries had to be halted due to a lack of equipment.

BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar criticized the LDF government, saying, “The ‘No.1 healthcare’ the LDF boasts about is nothing but an inflated balloon. Each incident continues to underline this fact.”