The collapse of a crumbling bathroom block at Kottayam Medical College has triggered more than grief — it’s now sparked a full-blown legal reckoning. A public interest litigation (PIL) has landed before the Kerala High Court, demanding systemic change across government hospitals in the state.
The collapsed structure — part of the Orthopaedics ward — took the life of a woman named Bindu and injured three others. But according to the petitioners, the real fault lines run deeper than the building’s foundation.
Three human rights activists have moved the Court, calling for sweeping judicial oversight over the administration, infrastructure, and upkeep of state-run medical institutions. The plea doesn’t mince words — it points to chronic negligence, administrative inertia, and a healthcare system that only springs into action under the weight of public outrage.
One damning example cited: when surgical instruments were reportedly unavailable at Thiruvananthapuram Medical College, it took a public statement by a doctor, Harris Chirackal, to provoke the government into emergency airlifting the equipment. The petition uses this episode to argue that the state can move fast — it just doesn’t, unless forced.
In the case of Kottayam, the plea alleges that some 70 patients were being treated inside a block that had long been declared structurally unsound. Engineering reports apparently raised red flags that went unheeded.
“This is not just a building collapse,” the petition implies. “It’s a collapse of responsibility, of governance, of the right to life.”
The petition calls on the Kerala High Court to issue binding directives — not just band-aid fixes — to the Health Department. It wants judicially monitored reforms ensuring basic infrastructure, working medical equipment, clean facilities, and better crisis preparedness across the public healthcare network.
Despite trained doctors and enough manpower, the state’s failure lies in poor execution and mismanagement, the plea contends — a failure that endangers the lives of those who can’t afford the luxury of private care.
The petitioners are urging the Court to intervene and ensure that no more lives are lost to institutional apathy masquerading as bureaucracy.
