Grievance redressal committee for medical institutions formed, Vijayan govt tells Kerala HC

Kochi, Aug 20 The Kerala government on Wednesday informed the High Court that it has constituted a Grievance Redressal Committee under the Clinical Establishments (Registration and Regulation) Act, 2018.

The submission was made before a division bench of Chief Justice Nitin Jamdar and Justice Basant Balaji, as it heard a writ petition seeking enforcement of safety standards in public medical facilities.

The plea was filed in the wake of the recent collapse of a bathroom building at the Kottayam Medical College, which led to the death of 56-year-old Bindhu, who had come for her daughter’s surgery.

The tragedy drew widespread criticism after it emerged that a rescue operation was delayed.

Hearing about the incident, Health Minister Veena George and Ports Minister V.N. Vasavan reached the accident site and initially assured that no one was trapped under the debris.

But later it was found that Bindhu was trapped under the debris.

The opposition Congress then alleged that her life was lost due to lapses in the response.

On Wednesday, the court had expressed strong concern over the state’s failure to frame Rules under the 2018 Act to ensure periodic inspections of clinical establishments, including government hospitals, even seven years after the law’s enactment.

It had also criticised the absence of a Grievance Redressal Committee for nearly 18 months after the earlier committee’s term expired in 2024.

On Wednesday, the government submitted that the required rules will be framed within three months.

The court directed the state to place its submissions in the form of an affidavit before the next hearing, which has been posted for August 26.

The Congress had demanded a judicial probe into the Kottayam incident.

On the day of the accident, state Congress President Sunny Joseph and senior leaders visited the hospital complex, alleging gross negligence and accusing the government of trying to downplay the tragedy.

The Pinarayi Vijayan government, however, ordered a probe by the District Collector instead of a judicial inquiry.

In the aftermath, the government announced rehabilitation measures, including offering a government job to Bindhu’s son and taking responsibility for the medical expenses of her daughter.

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