Dr Haris Chirackal has criticised the alleged inaction of health officials at Neyyatinkara General Hospital following the death of 52-year-old Rajesh Kumar during treatment on Thursday evening. Dr Haris, Head of the Department of Urology at the Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram, had kicked up a furore over his statements criticising the functioning of government medical colleges during the previous Left government's tenure.

The deceased, a resident of Maruthathoor near Neyyattinkara Railway Station, was brought to the hospital after developing severe chest pain. His family has alleged that he was denied timely medical attention as security personnel prevented him from immediately consulting a doctor, asking him instead to wait in the outpatient queue.

In a Facebook post, Dr Haris said on Friday that patients arriving with chest pain should not be made to wait for routine procedures such as taking an OP ticket or standing in queues. "Chest pain is an indication of heart disease, and it is a known fact that a patient can suffer a heart attack within minutes. Such patients should be immediately admitted to the emergency department and then shifted to the ICU for observation," he said.

Haris also criticised the statement issued by the hospital regarding the treatment provided to Rajesh Kumar. Referring to the hospital's claim that a referral was issued for shifting the patient to the Government Medical College Hospital, he said the referral process was not sufficient in such cases.

"The referral given for taking the patient to the medical college is not the way a patient who is going into a heart attack should be treated. It takes around one hour to reach the medical college. Serious investigation and further steps must be taken into the lapse," Dr Haris said in his post. He called for a detailed inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the patient's death and urged authorities to take necessary action.