CHENNAI: All CCTV cameras in Apollo Hospitals were turned off during the 75-day hospitalisation of former Tamil Nadu chief minister
J Jayalalithaa before her death on December 5, 2016, as she was the only patient occupying the 24-bed intensive care unit, its chairman Dr Prathap C Reddy said on Thursday.
On the sidelines of a press conference of the
Apollo International Colorectal Symposium 2018 here, Reddy told reporters that the hospital had submitted all relevant documents to the Justice A Arumughaswamy Commission of inquiry probing her death.
When asked if he had also submitted CCTV footage, he said: “I am sorry. Unfortunately, they switched off all the CCTVs for all the 75 days. As soon as she got admitted, the access to the ICU was closed. All patients were diverted to another ICU. This ICU was occupied only by her. Only one out of 24 room in the ICU was used. They removed the camera because they did not want everyone to be watching,” he said. No visitors were allowed to meet her, he said.
He said the hospital had done its best but unfortunately had to lose the 69-year-old leader following a massive heart attack.
Jayalalithaa, who was admitted to hospital on September 22, 2016, suffered a cardiac arrest on December 4 and was declared dead the following day.
“The matter is sub judice, as a one man commission is holding an inquiry. She was at the hospital for several days. From ward boys to technicians to nurses to doctors everyone took good care of her. There were doctors from other countries as well. We had high hopes she would recover. I even said she was well,” he said.
The hospital will appear before the commission when it is summoned. “We have submitted all reports. I do not know the day to today developments. If they call us, we are ready to appear before the commission,” he said.
