Kerala govt's silence on 'Ambulance scam' an admission of guilt: Congress leader Chennithala

Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 1 (IANS) Senior Congress leader and Congress Working Committee member Ramesh Chennithala, on Monday, launched a sharp attack on the Kerala government, alleging massive corruption in the Kaniv Ambulance Service contract and accusing Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan of turning every government deal into a commission-driven affair.

Chennithala said the state government's silence on the Rs 250 crore commission scam linked to the ambulance contract was nothing short of an admission of guilt.

"The money was siphoned off from the taxpayers of Kerala. Not a single deal is done without commissions under this government," the Congress leader added.

He alleged that the contract had been illegally extended for 18 months, while a company that should have been blacklisted was instead cleared in the technical bidding process.

At the same time, he said, the state's health sector was reeling under a severe crisis, virtually functioning without leadership.

According to Chennithala, heart surgeries across government hospitals have been suspended from Monday after suppliers of angioplasty equipment halted supplies over unpaid dues of Rs 160 crore.

"The government, which handles commission deals with precision, shows total neglect when it comes to saving the lives of the poor," Chennithala added.

He also alleged that essential medicines and surgical instruments are unavailable at Manjeri Medical College in Malappuram district.

Four departments have raised complaints about the shortages, he said.

Earlier, when Dr. Haris highlighted similar issues, the state government targeted him instead of addressing the crisis, Chennithala added.

Declaring that the state's health sector had "collapsed completely", the Congress leader questioned whether the Health Department even had a functioning head.

He demanded immediate accountability at the ministerial level.

"At the very least, the state government should remove the Minister who has failed to safeguard the health of the poor," he said.

With healthcare services under strain and corruption charges mounting, the Opposition has signalled that it will intensify pressure on the CPI-M government in the coming days over what it calls one of the biggest scams in the state's health sector.

--IANS

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