Kottayam Medical College building collapse death strikes LDF in its stronghold – healthcare

The death of a 52-year-old woman after a section of an old building collapsed at the Government Medical College Hospital in Kottayam has snowballed into a political and administrative storm. While the hospital’s superintendent Dr KT Jayakumar has taken responsibility for the government’s initial statement that it is unlikely anyone was trapped under the debris – which may have delayed the rescue operation – the Opposition has accused the government of using the doctor as a scapegoat to hide its failures in enforcing basic safety protocols at healthcare institutions.

Accident and death

The victim, D Bindu, a resident of Thalayolaparambu, had come to the hospital to attend to her ailing daughter who was admitted in Ward 14. Around 10:30 am on Wednesday (July 2), she entered the bathroom facility near the ward when the structure gave way. Concrete and debris from the 68-year-old block collapsed on her, trapping her for over two hours. Sources say that despite her daughter's desperate pleas, there was no immediate rescue, as officials initially believed no one was inside.

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Bindu was eventually pulled out and rushed to the casualty wing, but she succumbed to her injuries.

Tragic error

Health Minister Veena George and Cooperation Minister VN Vasavan, who were on campus for an unrelated event, had informed the media that the building was not in use and that it was unlikely anyone was trapped under the debris. The statement is now being used by the opposition to hold the government responsible for Bindu’s death.

Later, hospital superintendent Dr KT Jayakumar took responsibility for having conveyed to the ministers that no one was likely to be trapped inside.

“I take responsibility,” Dr Jayakumar told reporters on Thursday (July 3). “It was based on the information I gave that the ministers initially told the media there was no one inside. That assumption was mine. I regret the error, and I accept it fully.”

Opposition lashes out at govt

The statement, seen by many as rare candour in a high-profile public tragedy, has also sparked criticism. The opposition has accused the superintendent of attempting to shield the government from accountability by accepting the blame.

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“His admission is convenient and calculated,” said Congress MLA Chandy Oommen, who visited the hospital on Thursday. “A minister stood before cameras and said nobody was inside. It turns out a woman was buried alive. Accepting blame after the fact does not erase the delay or the misleading statements.”

Oommen said that by the time officials restarted the rescue effort—after Bindu’s daughter repeatedly alerted staff—precious time had been lost. “We are not questioning infrastructure here; we are questioning the delay, the assumptions, the lack of urgency,” he said.

Oppn seeks health minister’s resignation

"Dr Jayakumar is one of the most distinguished doctors Kerala has ever seen — the man who transformed Kottayam Medical College into one of the world’s prominent centres for cardiac surgery. He is not someone who deserves to hang his head before the world over the tragic death of a woman in the collapse of a 68-year-old, dilapidated building. He is a person who deserves the highest honours Kerala can bestow — one of the true heroes of our public health system" opined Sreejith D, senior journalist and social commentator.

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Holding Health Minister George accountable for the woman’s death, Leader of the Opposition VD Satheesan demanded her resignation. “The rescue was further delayed after the Health and Cooperation Ministers reached the site and officially stated that the building was not in use,” he said.

Govt promises strict action

According to hospital sources, the collapsed block had been deemed structurally unsafe several years ago, and a new building constructed to replace it is yet to be opened. While the abandoned status of the old washroom section was known internally, it continued to be accessible.

The state Health Department has ordered a high-level inquiry into the incident. A forensic team visited the site on Thursday, and Minister George has promised “strict action” if lapses are established. The minister was later admitted to hospital after she fainted while returning back from Kottayam.

Delay in govt response plagues healthcare

The tragedy has once again drawn attention to issues of internal communication, delays in infrastructure commissioning, and gaps in multi-level decision-making— the perils of systemic oversight failures.

Also read: Beyond NEET: Exploring alternative careers in medicine It also comes barely a week after another government hospital doctor, Dr Haris Chirakkal, a senior urologist at Thiruvananthapuram Medical College, raised concerns over surgical delays in his department due to lack of functional equipment.

In a detailed social media post in May, Dr Haris noted that critical instruments in the urology department had been unusable for extended periods, leading to the postponement of surgeries. He said the absence of functioning flexible ureteroscopes and other key devices was affecting both patient care and medical training.

His concerns received attention from colleagues and health officials, and the government later said steps had been taken to procure new equipment. However, his post reflected growing frustration among medical professionals over delayed administrative response within the public hospital system.

Grave lapses at play

While Dr Haris did not raise concerns over building safety, his post—like Dr Jayakumar’s admission—has highlighted a deeper issue: the gap between operational realities and bureaucratic assumptions.

A senior doctor at Kottayam Medical College, requesting anonymity, said: “We are not short on infrastructure. The state has invested. But if a building is condemned, it should be sealed off. If a new one is ready, it should be made functional. It’s these lapses that put patients at risk.”

Opposition parties have latched onto the Kottayam incident to accuse the state government of failing to enforce basic safety protocols. The Youth Congress staged protests outside the hospital, while the Indian Medical Association’s state chapter called for a time-bound inquiry and enhanced transparency in hospital infrastructure audits.

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At a time when the LDF is going all out to secure a third consecutive term in Kerala, a series of setbacks in the health department have put the government on the defensive, with multiple incidents casting a shadow over its flagship sector.

Kerala’s public health system remains strong on paper and in outcomes. But tragedies like the one in Kottayam underline how inattention to known risks—even when the broader system is sound—can prove fatal.