Senior Congress leader and former Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy was airlifted to a private hospital in Bengaluru on Sunday, February 12, party sources said. Oommen Chandy had been admitted to a private hospital in Neyyattinkara near Thiruvananthapuram for treatment after he was infected with pneumonia. All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary in-charge of organisation KC Venugopal, earlier on Sunday, said that the leader will be shifted to Bengaluru hospital.
The Congress veteran, who was taken out of the Neyyattinkara hospital in a wheelchair, thanked the doctors and staff of the hospital and said there was no basis for the concerns regarding the treatment given to him. "There is no basis for the controversy related to my treatment," Oommen Chandy said in a feeble voice to the media. His wife, two daughters and son, Chandy Oommen, accompanied the senior leader to Bengaluru.
On Saturday, AICC general secretary in-charge of organisation KC Venugopal had said that the Congress has decided to shift Oommen Chandy to a hospital in Bengaluru. Earlier, concerns were raised from various quarters over his deteriorating health. His relatives had alleged that the veteran Congress leader was being denied proper medical care by his close family members.
As social media was abuzz with reports of his health condition, Oommen Chandy had posted a video on his son's Facebook page, stating that he was given proper care by his family and the party. The development came after 42 of Chandy's close relatives, including his younger brother, sent a letter to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan seeking his urgent intervention to provide better treatment for his predecessor.
Oommen Chandy has not been keeping well since 2019. He was taken to Germany a few months ago after his throat-related ailment aggravated. Oommen Chandy, who represents Puthuppally constituency in the state Assembly since 1970, was Chief Minister of Kerala twice.