Kerala Minister files complaint against FB page accusing him of 'wrongful medical claim'

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Finance Minister's office has lodged a police complaint against a Facebook page which carried a post accusing him of claiming around Rs 1.91 lakh as medical expenses for a single day's treatment at the government medical college here last year.

Terming the social media post as "misleading", "completely untrue" and a "conspiracy of evil minds", Balagopal said that he had undergone an angioplasty and a stent was inserted following a heart ailment and was in the hospital from May 12, 2024 to May 17, 2024, when he was discharged.

"However, a completely misleading and untruthful campaign was being carried out through UDF-Sangh Parivar social media handles and YouTube channels regarding the reimbursement of the medical expenses incurred by him for the treatment.

"The amount charged by the medical college is the cost of an angioplasty at any government hospital for a person in the APL category," the minister said in a Facebook post on Friday.

He also questioned whether it was wrong of him to opt for the relatively inexpensive treatment at a government hospital when he was eligible for undergoing the same procedure at a private hospital where it would be much more costly.

The minister said that instead of highlighting the positive aspect that there was effective treatment for heart ailments in government hospitals and that people like him trust and rely on it, a false propaganda was being carried out against him for over a year.

Balagopal said that while he had been ignoring the false propaganda for over a year, he decided to take legal action against the persons spreading it as he noticed that the public was believing the falsehood.