On a day when there were intensified concerns about the health of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, Apollo Hospitals flew in Dr. Richard John Beale, Consultant Intensivist at the London Bridge Hospital, to assess her condition.
Dr. Beale, on examining Ms. Jayalalithaa, said she was receiving the best course of treatment at the hospital. An internationally renowned specialist and researcher, he will be available for further consultation over the next couple of days to the team of doctors attending on the Chief Minister.
Meanwhile, DMK president M. Karunanidhi urged the State government to clarify on the health condition of Ms. Jayalalithaa and put an end to speculation, and the agony of her party cadres.
In a statement here, he said the Tamil Nadu Governor too should take steps to clarify on the Chief Minister’s health condition. He recalled that details of the health condition of M.G. Ramachandran, when he was in Apollo Hospital in 1984, were regularly released by the then health minister H.V. Hande.
“The Governor has not visited the Chief Minister even though she has been in hospital for a week. The government should explain to the people of Tamil Nadu her health status with adequate evidence and the panel of doctors who are treating her fever. The medical team should inform the people of her health periodically,” he said.
Mr. Karunanidhi said though many important persons, including Union Minister Pon. Radhakrishnan, had visited the hospital, none of them seemed to have met the Chief Minister. “Even the AIADMK’s presidium chairman has told the media that he could not see her. The situation has led to speculations about her health on social media,” he said.
Mr Karunanidhi also cited media reports that the Chief Minister's friend Sasikala and advisor Sheela Balakrishnan were functioning as her proxies like her shadow. “The government cannot afford to ignore such reports because the Constitution of the country should not be allowed to be misused,” he said.
“Protocol demands that either the Chief Secretary or the Health Minister should inform the people of the Chief Minister’s health condition," he said.
