The Commission of Inquiry looking into the death of former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa has asked Apollo Hospitals to furnish documents and details pertaining to former Chief Minister M.G. Ramachandran’s hospitalisation 34 years ago.
Apollo Hospitals has confirmed receiving the October 4 letter from the Justice (Retd.) A. Arumughaswamy Commission about treatment provided to M.G. Ramachandran during his October-November 1984 hospitalisation.
The organisation has been asked to respond by October 23. Apollo’s legal counsel Maimoona Badsha confirmed receipt of the letter.
The letter, written by the section officer of the Commission and sent to Apollo chairperson Prathap C. Reddy demands two other details from Apollo.
The Commission wants a copy of the “competent authority’s” order that authorised MGR’s shifting to the U.S.. It has also called for the details and documents relating to the shifting and treatment at the Brooklyn hospital.
On Wednesday, the Commission even tried to broach MGR’s treatment during its proceedings. While examining Dr. I. Sathyamurthy, director of Apollo’s department of cardiology, the Commission asked whether he was at the hospital during MGR’s hospitalisation. The doctor replied that he joined the hospital after the then Chief Minister was shifted to the U.S. on November 5. Dr. Sathyamurthy’s website says that he joined Apollo Hospitals in November 1984.
The Arumughaswamy Commission has been focusing on why Jayalalithaa was not taken abroad for treatment. A day after deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam alleged on September 26 that he had requested officials at Apollo Hospitals that Jayalalithaa be taken to the U.S. for treatment, a senior consultant in critical care associated with Apollowas asked about the proposal. The consultant, Dr. R. Senthil Kumar, said he was not aware of Mr. Panneerselvam’s suggestion.
Dr. Kumar had said that Apollo does not decide on shifting its patients abroad — the decision is left to the patient’s relatives after presenting them with options. Dr. Kumar had also said he was outside the room when intensivist Dr. Richard Beale exited the room after discussing the possibility with Jayalalithaa herself. Dr. Beale reported that Jayalalithaa had declined to be flown abroad. A source said that questions about the use of an air ambulance was posed to infectious diseases specialist Dr. V. Ramasubramanian. On December 21, 2017, former chief secretary P. Rama Mohana Rao had told the Commission that Lok Sabha deputy Speaker M. Thambi Durai, had approached him with the possibility of taking Jayalalithaa abroad. Mr. Rao dropped the idea as the ministers were not receptive to it.
