THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Health Minister Veena George has courted controversy when she made a written reply that the government had not noticed any increase in attacks on doctors and health workers. Her response to the question by MLA Mathew Kuzhalnadan came at a time the doctors have complained of increasing physical assaults on them even by CPM members.
Veena’s response came on a question raised on August 4, a month after doctors staged a protest in Alappuzha against the attack on Dr Sarath Chandraprasad by three CPM men. Before that, on May 14, Dr Rahul Mathew, a duty doctor in Mavelikara taluk hospital, was assaulted while on duty by a civil police officer. After her reply created a controversy, the minister is learnt to have sought approval of the speaker to furnish a revised reply as the submitted reply was incomplete.