Chennai, July 14 (IANS) Tamil Nadu BJP President Nainar Nagenthran has launched a sharp attack on the Vijay government over reports that multiple patients are being accommodated on a single bed in the emergency ward of the Government Stanley Medical College Hospital in Chennai, calling the situation “deeply condemnable” and accusing the administration of failing to ensure basic healthcare facilities.

In a post on X, Nagenthran referred to media reports claiming that three patients were being made to share a single bed in the hospital’s emergency department because of severe space constraints.

He said such conditions at one of Tamil Nadu’s premier government hospitals reflected serious administrative lapses and raised concerns about the government’s handling of public healthcare.

According to Nagenthran, the overcrowding has been attributed to ongoing renovation works at the hospital, which reportedly led to patients from different sections being shifted to a single block.

He alleged that the situation exposed the “administrative confusion” within the Health Department and questioned why adequate alternative arrangements had not been made before undertaking renovation work.

Drawing a comparison with the State Secretariat, the BJP leader asked whether the government would confine all ministers to a single room if renovation work were carried out there.

He argued that such an approach would never be accepted in government offices and said patients in public hospitals deserved the same level of planning and consideration.

Nagenthran also questioned whether the Joseph Vijay-led government understood the basic requirements of patient care, including access to spacious, well-ventilated beds for those undergoing treatment.

He further alleged that the government appeared to be treating people who depended on government hospitals as second-class citizens.

The BJP leader claimed that, just as the previous DMK government had been criticised for neglecting government hospitals and economically weaker sections, the present TVK-led administration should not be allowed to continue what he described as a similar pattern of indifference towards public healthcare institutions.

Calling for immediate intervention, Nagenthran urged CM Vijay and Health Minister Arun Raj to ensure that patients at Stanley Government Hospital are provided with adequate basic amenities. He specifically demanded improved bed capacity, clean and accessible toilets, safe drinking water, and other essential infrastructure to guarantee dignified treatment for patients relying on the State-run healthcare system.

The Tamil Nadu government has not yet issued an official response to Nagenthran’s allegations.

–IANS

aal/dpb