TENKASI: TVK district medical wing organiser Vasudevi Soma Sundaram drew sharp criticism from the DMK and several social media users after she visited the Government Hospital (GH) in Sankarankovil on Tuesday evening allegedly for an inspection of the facilities. She denied the charges and said it was a visit to enquire if the hospital required any government help.
Controversy erupted amid allegations that the GH administration shifted the severed upper limb of a migrant worker in a plastic bag instead of ice box to the Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital, resulting in doctors being unable to reattach the limb. The injured worker, a 29-year-old man from Odisha, lost his right upper limb in an accident involving a crusher at a private stone quarry.
On Tuesday evening, Vasudevi went around the GH and later told media persons that the charges levelled against the GH were not true. After videos of her comments got circulated on social media, criticism poured in from the DMK IT Wing and several social media users, including doctors.
Vasudevi, in a social media post on Wednesday, clarified that she did not conduct any inspection in the hospital. “It was just a visit. I heard that the severed limb of a migrant worker was not cleaned properly before being shifted to TvMCH.
The doctors had sent it in a bag as there was no box available to pack it. I have completed MSc in Nursing and MBA in Hospital Management. I went to the GH only to ask if the administration needed any help from our side,” she stated. Speaking to TNIE, Tenkasi Collector A K Kamal Kishore said the quarry operator has agreed to provide Rs 5 lakh compensation to the victim.
Meanwhile, government doctors’ associations have condemned the incident. The Service Doctors and Post Graduates Association alleged that TVK members conducted a “de facto official review meeting” at the hospital with the permission of the Chief Medical Officer and Joint Director of Health Services. The Tamil Nadu Medical Officers Association said only authorised public servants or officials appointed by the government could inspect government hospitals, and urged the CM to take appropriate action.