Patient collapses and dies after waiting in queue at Neyyattinkara hospital; Health Minister orders inquiry

Health Minister K. Muraleedharan has ordered an inquiry into the incident at district hospital, Neyyattinkara, wherein a patient who had come to the hospital on Thursday (July 9, 2026) evening complaining of chest pain collapsed and died after he was allegedly forced to stand in a queue for over half-an-hour.

Mr. Muraleedharan has directed the District Medical Officer to inquire into the incident immediately and submit a report.

The patient, Rajeshkumar of Koottapana, Neyyattinkara had come to the hospital around 6.30 p.m. complaining of chest pain, but the security staff allegedly did not permit him to see the doctor without an OP ticket. He managed to see the doctor after standing in the queue but later collapsed and died.

Tension prevailed in the hospital after the incident as the enraged public and relatives of the patient entered into a heated debate with the hospital administration, and the police had to be called in.

The Health Minister, in a statement, said that if a patient who had come to the hospital with a health emergency was made to stand in a queue, the staff responsible for this behaviour will be dealt with strictly. Follow-up action would be taken on the basis of the inquiry report, he added.