Bereft of any issues to malign the TRS government, the Congress leaders are resorting to politicisation of Nerella incident victims’ treatment at Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences, said State Health Minister C. Laxma Reddy.
The six Dalit patients who came to the NIMS on September 6 were examined by doctors and they stayed overnight for some more tests, including ultra sonography scan. The next day doctors concluded that they could be treated as out patients and their health condition did not warrant hospitalisation.
However, Congress leaders Bhatti Viramarka and V. Hanumantha Rao, who came to the hospital on September 7, accused the NIMS doctors of forcefully discharging patients and took them to Care Hospital. After examination of the patients, the doctors at the private corporate hospital also said that there was no need to admit them and they could be treated out patients, said Dr. Laxma Reddy. Addressing media persons here on Saturday, Dr. Reddy said the motive of Congress leaders is to instigate patients from Nerella and gain some political mileage where there are none. He reiterated that the government is ready to provide treatment to the six patients at NIMS or any other hospital of the patients’ choice. If the Congress is really concerned, let a joint committee be constituted that could monitor the treatment, he said.
The Nerella incident in Rajanna Sircilla district became a serious issue between the ruling and opposition parties when the villagers opposed sand mining operations by some contractors and the villagers torched three trucks carrying sand when a speeding truck crushed a labourer. Following the incident, police arrested eight villagers and there were allegations by the Congress leaders that the villagers sustained serious injuries due to police brutality.