Pathanamthitta (Kerala), Feb 21 A surgical error at a government medical college years ago sparked a political controversy in the poll-bound state of Kerala on Saturday, with Congress workers staging widespread protests against Health Minister Veena George, who in turn accused the opposition party of "deliberately orchestrating" the agitation.
Both George and the ruling CPI(M) accused Congress leader V D Satheesan of being behind the incident, a charge he vehemently denied.
The Congress and its youth wing intensified protests against George a day after a retired government doctor was booked following the discovery of surgical instruments inside the abdomen of a woman who underwent surgery at Alappuzha Medical College in 2021.
The case was registered against Dr Lalithambika, the former head of the gynaecology department, after Usha Joseph (51) of Punnapra underwent surgery for the removal of a uterine fibroid in May 2021.
While the health minister was attending events in Pathanamthitta, a group of Youth Congress workers stormed her official residence in Thiruvananthapuram and placed a wreath at the doorstep, demanding her resignation.
The protesters later staged a demonstration in front of the residence, waving black flags and raising slogans against George.
Soon after, the minister strongly condemned the incident and accused Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan of "directing the protests and inciting violence."
She alleged that the Congress was trying to win the upcoming Assembly elections through "unethical" methods and cited the "attack" on her residence as an example.
A visibly angry George stated that she had done everything possible in her capacity as health minister in this case.
"The health minister did not perform the surgery nor did she teach the procedure," she added, noting that the error occurred years ago.
She also claimed that even doctors were uncertain whether the surgery had taken place during the tenure of the previous UDF or LDF government.
"Kerala should take note of this. The attack on my residence was carried out at the direction of Opposition leader V D Satheesan," she alleged.
The minister also accused a section of the media of attempting "to create confusion and run a false campaign against the government" over the incident.
She said the government would not tolerate such errors and warned of strict action.
George further alleged that the Opposition was deliberately "undermining public healthcare to promote private sector interests."
After protesting at her residence, Congress workers later attempted to disrupt a programme attended by the minister at the Town Hall by raising slogans.
Tension prevailed when ruling LDF workers gathered in her support. The minister also faced protests at other locations later in the day.
While the CPI(M) condemned the protests, Satheesan rejected the allegations against him.
Senior CPI(M) leader P K Sreemathi alleged that the Youth Congress wanted to "symbolically declare the political death" of the minister by placing a wreath at her residence.
General Education Minister V Sivankutty termed the act "extremely serious" and accused the Opposition of resorting to "anti-democratic" means to intimidate the minister.
Satheesan said it was not his role to direct such protests.
"That is not our method of agitation. It is not my job to instruct anyone to place wreaths at ministers’ houses," he said.
He alleged that repeated incidents of medical negligence showed that "Kerala’s health sector is on a ventilator," claiming the public healthcare system had collapsed.
He also claimed that numerous such incidents pointed to "systemic failure" in the sector.
Meanwhile, Usha Joseph underwent surgery at a private hospital in Kochi earlier in the day, and the surgical instrument was successfully removed.
In a statement, Amrita Hospital said the patient's condition was satisfactory after the procedure. Government Medical College Medical Superintendent Dr Ganesh Mohan and Head of the Department of Surgery Dr Abdul Siyad A K were also present during the surgery.
Ambalapuzha police registered a case against Dr Lalithambika on Friday night, following a complaint by Joseph's relative.
The case was registered under Sections 125 and 125(a) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for acts endangering life and causing hurt by negligence.
Although Dr Shahida, who performed the surgery, had earlier been suspended by the Department of Health Education, police said the case was registered against Lalithambika based on the complaint, and more accused could be added after further investigation.
Later in the day, Cantonment police registered a case against 25 Youth Congress workers under various provisions of the BNS, Kerala Police Act and the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act over the protest at the minister’s residence.
According to the FIR, the protesters broke the lock and gate of the main entrance, causing damage worth around Rs 28,000.
They were also accused of obstructing police duty and assaulting officers, police said.