Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 6 (NationPress) Venu, who tragically passed away without receiving the necessary treatment at the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College and Hospital, has become a symbol of the troubling state of Kerala's health care. The Leader of the Opposition, V.D. Satheesan, has accused the state’s Health Minister, Veena George, and the Pinarayi Vijayan administration of being directly accountable for this incident.

“Venu did not just die; he was a casualty of the dismantling of the Health Department and the administrative framework that this government has systematically eroded over the last nine and a half years. The Health Minister and the government must face the consequences,” Satheesan declared in a forceful statement.

He insisted that Venu’s voice message should be considered a dying declaration, calling for a murder investigation against those who failed to provide adequate care.

The 48-year-old auto rickshaw driver from Panmana in Kollam had been admitted to the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College and Hospital last week after being referred for an emergency angiogram from the Kollam District Hospital.

Despite medical recommendations for immediate surgery, Venu’s family claims treatment was not administered even after six days.

The situation intensified when an audio message recorded by Venu surfaced, where he expressed his frustrations about hospital officials' indifference and corruption.

In the recording, he lamented, “No one even looks at patients with concern — not even the way one would look at a dog,” and accused the hospital of functioning as “a center of bribery.”

He urged his friend to raise awareness of his situation should anything happen to him.

Venu’s death on Wednesday night, shortly after sending the message, sparked widespread outrage.

When his body was returned to his home near Kollam, enraged Congress-led UDF supporters took to the streets, protesting what they labeled as the “collapse of Kerala’s once exemplary public health system.”

Hospital officials have denied any negligence, asserting that all required treatments were provided and that the patient’s condition deteriorated unexpectedly.

However, Satheesan pointed out that the Health Minister’s acknowledgment of “systemic failure” serves as evidence of decline. “If ordinary citizens continue to perish due to lack of care in government hospitals, the Minister has no ethical right to stay in office,” he stated, demanding her resignation.