Kochi, February 21 Senior Congress leader V D Satheesan on Saturday rejected allegations that he had instructed Youth Congress workers to stage a "wreath protest" at the residence of Health Minister Veena George over a surgical lapse incident, saying such actions were not the practice of the ruling party.
The Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly said it was not his job to direct anyone to place a wreath at the houses of ministers.
He was responding to George's allegation that Satheesan gave instructions to "attack her residence" and create violence.
"That is not our means of agitation. And my job is not to instruct anyone to place wreaths at the houses of ministers," Satheesan told reporters here.
He alleged that activists of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), the youth wing of the ruling CPI(M), had previously broken into the premises of his official residence, Cantonment House, and his private residence in Paravur, causing damage.
He also accused Left workers of destroying pots with plants at his official residence and assaulting visitors at his private house.
Satheesan sought to know whether those incidents were carried out on the instructions of the ministers.
He also alleged that instead of initiating action against the attackers, police had then registered non-bailable cases against those present inside the house and those who had come to submit representations at the time.
Earlier in the day, George alleged that the Congress was trying to win the upcoming Assembly elections through "heinous" methods and the "attack" against her official residence in Thiruvananthapuram was an example.
"Kerala should listen to this. The attack against my residence was carried out as per the direction of Opposition leader V D Satheesan," she alleged.
The minister also accused the opposition of deliberately tarnishing the government systems and treatment facilities to boost the private monopolies invested in the state health sector.
Youth Congress workers stormed George's residence in Thiruvananthapuram and placed a wreath there in the morning demanding her resignation in the surgical lapse incident that happened at the Vandanam government medical college in Alappuzha years ago.
Satheesan alleged that repeated incidents of medical negligence across the state validate the Opposition's charge that "health Kerala is on a ventilator," claiming the public healthcare system has completely collapsed in the southern state.
He claimed that thousands of isolated incidents have occurred in the state, reflecting systemic failure in the health sector.
Satheesan alleged that large corporate groups are acquiring hospitals by paying as much as Rs 2.5 crore per bed, a trend that would make private healthcare unaffordable for ordinary and middle-class families.
"In such a situation, protecting and strengthening the public health system is the government's responsibility," he pointed out.
Satheesan said the UDF had organised a health conclave and released a policy document recently to safeguard the public healthcare sector.
He asserted that a comprehensive transformation would be implemented in the health sector if the UDF comes to power, promising to create an accessible system capable of competing with the private sector.
The Opposition leader alleged that system failures were recurring widely across the state and urged the government to treat the issue with seriousness.
Claiming that several hospitals were facing acute staff shortages, he said that in many medical colleges, patients are being reverse-referred to taluk and district hospitals.
Satheesan further alleged that beyond rhetoric, no meaningful reforms have been undertaken in the health sector.
The LoP's remarks came a day after a retired doctor had been booked following an artery forceps found inside the abdomen of a woman who underwent surgery at Alappuzha Medical College in 2021. The incident triggered widespread protests across the state.
