THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Alleging that Oommen Chandy is being “denied” proper treatment and his health is deteriorating every minute, his 42 close relatives, including a sibling, have petitioned Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan seeking urgent intervention to ensure the best possible treatment for the ailing former CM.
The relatives were forced to approach Pinarayi after Oommen Chandy’s family allegedly denied his own siblings and other immediate relatives permission to visit him at his residence in Thiruvananthapuram, putting them in the dark on his health condition.
“Oommen Chandy requires emergency medical treatment, and every moment is precious,” the relatives said in a memorandum emailed to Pinarayi and Health Minister Veena George on Sunday. The letter is signed by the former CM’s younger brother Alex V Chandy among others.
TNIE is in possession of a copy of the memorandum that says, “It’s a shame for the state that a seasoned leader like Oommen Chandy, who is also a former chief minister, is being denied requisite medical treatment. We are requesting the chief minister and the health minister to initiate steps to provide the best available treatment to Oommen Chandy.”
The memorandum alleges that Chandy has not been provided with follow-up treatment ever since he returned to Thiruvananthapuram from Bengaluru in January. It urges the CM to constitute a medical team comprising experts to recommend follow-up treatment.
There is no lapse from anyone: Oommen Chandy
“The chief minister’s office has acknowledged receipt of our complaint... We’ve learned that Veena George will be visiting Oommen Chandy at the earliest to take stock of the situation,” one of the signatories told TNIE. Meanwhile, the senior Congress leader’s son Chandy Oommen posted two videos on social media. In the first one, Oommen Chandy is seen reading a file.
In the second one, the former CM is speaking in a feeble voice saying he is being given excellent treatment by the party and family members. “There is no lapse from anyone. I am content with the treatment being provided. The party has extended all help to me,” he says in the video.
In the videos, Chandy Oommen criticises the media for levelling baseless allegations against his family, and compared his fate with that of Lord Ayyappa, who had to go in search of Tiger milk to save his mother. “No son should face such a situation,” a dejected Chandy Oommen is seen saying. Earlier on Saturday, he had posted on the Facebook that his family had decided to take his “Appa” to a leading private cancer hospital in Bengaluru within two days.