Kerala govt to aid family of woman killed in Kottayam hospital collapse

Kottayam: Thiruvananthapuram: The husband of Bindu, the 56-year-old woman who lost her life when a toilet block at the Kottayam Medical College Hospital collapsed on Thursday, said the state government has assured the family of full support.

Speaking to the media on Saturday, he said that State Cooperation Minister V.N. Vasavan, who visited their home, had extended assurances of help.

“We have been assured that the treatment to my daughter going on at the Kottayam Medical College Hospital will be taken over by the Kerala government. My son has just completed his engineering course and had got his first salary when the tragedy happened. We have sought a proper job for him. A lump sum has also been assured and the Kerala Cabinet will decide on it,” said the husband.

He also mentioned that Congress MLA Chandy Oommen, son of late Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, had pledged ₹5 lakh from his father’s charity foundation.

“Bindu was the sole breadwinner of our family. We got huge support during our time of grief. I feel this huge support of humanity is because she was a good soul and the good she did is coming back to us,” wailed the husband, who works as a casual labourer despite his health challenges.

At the time of the incident, Bindu, her husband, and their daughter—who was scheduled for surgery—were at the hospital. When Bindu went to use the toilet, the structure collapsed, trapping her beneath the debris.

There is huge public ire against Vasavan and State Health Minister Veena George, who, after reaching the place, said that just two people suffered minor injuries and no one was buried under the debris.

However, Chandy Oommen raised an alarm and said there might be someone under the debris, and after that, the rescue operations began, and Bindu's body was retrieved.

Since then, demands for George's resignation have grown, with critics accusing her of gross mismanagement of the health department.

The controversy deepened when, shortly after CPI-M state secretary M.V. Govindan accused the media and Opposition of spreading baseless allegations against the state’s health sector, news emerged of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s upcoming medical trip to the US.

The CM’s decision has sparked widespread criticism and social media mockery, with many questioning his choice of foreign treatment despite repeated claims about Kerala’s high healthcare standards.

Despite mounting pressure, the CPI-M has stood firmly by Veena George and dismissed the possibility of her stepping down.

(inputs from IANS)