Jayalalithaa’s Hospital Bill Goes Viral; 44.5 Lakhs Still Pending
Highlights:
- Jayalalithaa’s hospital bill for a stay of 75 days is a whopping 6.55 crore
- Over 1.7 crore spent on food alone
- The bill summary shows an outstanding amount of Rs. 44.5 lakhs
Apparently, puratchi thalaivi Amma is trending again. A confidential document showing the detailed summary of Jayalalithaa’s hospital bill submitted by Apollo hospital has gone viral in social media. Incredulously, the total bill amount is a whopping 6.85 crore. Beyond that, the summary also shows an outstanding balance of 44.65 lakh rupees.
Interestingly, the food bill alone has come up to 1.17 crore. Even the special treatment provided for her did not come up to the food bill. Apollo hospital paid Rs 1.24 crore to Mount Elizabeth hospital in Singapore which offered physiotherapy services to the late Chief Minister of TN. UK-based expert Richard Bearle received Rs 92 lakh for his professional services.
Twitter Reaction
Meanwhile, the exorbitant bill has had the Twitterati both amused and irritated at the same time. For your convenience, Online Trading India has gone through a ton of Twitter reactions and has picked a few that you might enjoy.
A Twitter user expressed his surprise at the bill amount and got a prompt reply.
Bill is for special idely made out of 2000 years old rice and ulundhu
— Siva (@sivakumarks) December 18, 2018
Similarly, the humungous bill prompted another Twitter user @Nivviani to draw parallels with the mythological character Kumbakarnan.
If the kumbakarnan had eaten for the entire 6 months it would not have been this much amount #Apollo#Jayalalithaa
Bill amount 1.17 crore— Nivetha Narayanadoss (@Nivviani) December 19, 2018
Twitter user @brudanandha found a humorous way of criticizing the Apollo hospital for overcharging.
In a bank,
Me: Sir I need a loan of Rs:1c under Mudra scheme.
Bank manager : So, what business are you going to do with that money?
Me: who said I am going to start a business? I’m going to buy idly from #ApolloHospital#jayalalithaa
— Brudanandha (@brudanandha) December 18, 2018
However, the hospital has confirmed that the that the total food bill was not for Jayalalithaa alone but included ministers, party officials, party cadre, security officials. The explanation seems reasonable enough.
Criticism for AIADMK
The ruling party AIADMK has paid 6 crores on 5th June 2017. Some have criticized the AIADMK for not paying the bill amount in full. Jayalalithaa was hospitalized on September 26 where she stayed for 75 days. She died on 05 December 2016 at the age of 68 following a heart attack.
Can @AIADMKOfficial be punished under Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act for failing to pay their ‘Amma’s’ hospital bill fully? 😀 #Jayalalithaapic.twitter.com/rF5QHiEGwr
— Samuel Merigala (@themerigala) December 18, 2018
To this day, allegations that the true state of her health was not revealed remains. This has prompted the state government to set up an inquiry. Over 100 witnesses were questioned regarding the matter, which includes VK Sasikala, Jayalalithaa’s best friend who is currently in jail for corruption. Apollo hospital is baffled that such a confidential document, which was submitted to the commission has become public.