Tamil Nadu Health and Family Welfare Minister Ma Subramanian announced that Minister Senthil Balaji was transferred to a private hospital based on his wife’s request. Speaking at a press briefing in Tamil Nadu’s Madurai district, Minister Ma Subramanian clarified that Senthil Balaji was under doctor’s observation after surgery and urged doubters to visit the hospital and find out how many blockages he had and the kind of treatment he was undergoing.
Recently, Minister Subramanian inaugurated new Urban Primary Health Centres, Sub-Primary Health Centres, Public Health Laboratories, and Health Centre Additional Buildings constructed at a cost of Rs. 6.34 crores in Madurai district on behalf of the Department of Health and Family Welfare and the National Welfare Group. The minister also criticized the central government’s lack of financial contribution to the AIIMS (All India Institute of Medical Sciences) that is to be constructed in Madurai district.
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court refused to interfere with the Madras High Court order, allowing Tamil Nadu Minister Senthil Balaji to be moved to a private hospital in Chennai and entertaining a habeas corpus petition filed against his arrest. Previously, the Minister for Electricity as well as Prohibition and Excise was arrested on June 14 and admitted to a government hospital in Chennai after he complained of chest pain. The Madras High Court allowed him on June 15 to be shifted to a private hospital of his choice, where doctors attending to him have recommended bypass surgery.
Despite the circumstances about Senthil Balaji’s health, critics say the state government is not doing enough in terms of its health infrastructure and services. The fact that AIIMS Madurai, unlike the AIIMS facilities announced across India, has no Central government funding is a cause for concern. In response, Minister Subramanian revealed that he went to Japan to meet with the JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) vice president to request the release of AIIMS funds, and JICA agreed to start the project in 2024 and complete the building in 2028.
As of now, the situation surrounding Senthil Balaji’s health is still being closely monitored. But, his transfer to a private hospital upon his wife’s request has brought criticism and calls for better health infrastructure and services in Tamil Nadu.
