Kerala Cultural Affairs Minister Saji Cherian on Monday credited private health-care facilities for their services, recounting how one such hospital saved his life years ago when he fell critically ill with dengue fever after being treated at a government hospital.
Talking to reporters here, Mr. Cherian said people, including Ministers, taking treatment at private hospitals was just normal practice. His remarks on the health-care facilities came while defending Ministers seeking treatment at private hospitals.
“Wherever people can get good treatment first, they will go there and what is wrong with that,” he asked, asking how many Ministers actually prefer government facilities.
Personal experience
Recounting a personal experience, Mr. Cherian said he was “almost dead due to the treatment at a government hospital” after being admitted for dengue fever in 2019. “When I was almost dead due to the treatment at the government hospital, it was recommended to take me to the Amrita hospital. I had remained there unconscious for 14 days and had been cured later,” he said.
The Minister further said private hospitals may have more technologies and there is nothing wrong with people going there for advanced treatment.
Mr. Cherian’s statement came amidst a raging debate over the alleged lapses in government hospitals and medical colleges in the State.
Clarification
However, the Minister later came up with a clarification that he never tried to belittle the services provided by the government hospitals and that a section of the media distorted what he said.
In a Facebook post, Mr. Cherian said lakhs of people are depending on the government hospitals in the State, and he was mentioning the circumstances in which people had to depend upon private health-care facilities. Distorting the statements in this regard was condemnable, he said, and requested people to reject such propaganda being made with political motives.
