Family: Uthaya suffered a silent heart attack

Source : M'Kini

The Malaysian Indian United Party (MIUP) today joined a chorus of calls being made to the government to ensure that ISA-detained Hindraf legal advisor P Uthayakumar is given a proper medical treatment.

MIUP president KS Nallakaruppan said that it was the duty of the government to ensure Uthayakumar received proper medical treatment for his diabetes.

“The detention centre authorities must make sure that Uthayakumar and the other four Hindraf detainees are in good health,” said Nallakaruppan today.

“The authorities must not fail in their duty to provide healthcare for these detainees.

“If they are needed to be admitted in a hospital, they then should be admitted. If they need to see a specialist, again, the detention centre must make arrangements for that,” he added.

He also warned that the detention camp authorities should not turn the admission of any of these Hindraf leaders into a government hospital into a media event.

“We see them parading Uthayakumar in handcuffs while being taken to the hospital and back to the detention centre.

“This shouldn’t happen. He is not a criminal. If you are taking him to the hospital for treatment, then make sure that he gets the propers treatment,” he said.

Nallakaruppan also urged the detention centre authorities to allow Uthayakumar to receive his proper medications from his doctors.

Similarly, Nallakaruppan added that two other Hindraf detainees - V Ganabatirau and R Kenghadharan - had also complained of being denied medical treatment.

“I urge the authorities to look into this matter seriously. I know how it feels to be locked up and being denied medical treatment. The government must show its humane face by giving proper medical treatment for these detainees,” he added.

Family: a silent heart attack

Uthayakumar, Ganabatirau, Kenghadharan, M Manoharan and T Vasantha Kumar - all key leaders of Hindu Rights Action Force - were detained under the Internal Security Act on Dec 13 shortly after organising a mammoth rally in Kuala Lumpur on Nov 25 which saw some 30,000 Indians taking to the streets.

Uthayakumar, a diabetic for the past 12 years, was admitted to the Taiping hospital in Perak on April 7 after his sugar level rose to more than three times the normal level.

His lawyer Santha Devi Velusamy complained that he was not given his diabetes medicines for the past one month despite making repeated requests to the detention centre director.

Uthayakumar was discharged from the hospital on April 10 and taken back to the detention centre but his family members insist that he is still not well.

Uthayakumar’s brother and Hindraf chairperson P Waythamoorthy today criticised the authorities for prematurely discharging his sibling from the hospital.

In a statement issued from London where he is currently based, Waythamoorthy urged all Hindraf supporters to lodge police reports against the director of detention centre and the Home Affairs Minister for “negligently and prematurely discharging Uthayakumar thus seriously damaging his health”.

“My family member who visited him confirms his complaints of decreased vision, giddiness, weakness and uncomfortable feeling in the heart.

“The doctor who examined him at Taiping hospital suspected he may have damaged heart muscles and is suffering a silent heart attack as a result of being denied diabetes medication for more than a month,” he said.

Police reports lodged

Waythamoorthy added that a proper test to confirm Uthayakumar’s heart condition is only available at the Taiping hospital on April 28.

“His condition is so serious and my family are willing to bear the private medical expenses. He needs to be referred to IJN urgently and we need the public to support our request for urgent private medical treatment,” he added.

Waythamoorthy also claimed that upon Uthayakumar’s discharge from the hospital, he was again denied medication for more than 20 hours and served diet with high sugar content.

In order to force the government to provide proper medical treatment to Uthayakumar, his mother K Kalaivaniy and fiancée Indra Devi Subramaniam lodged separate police reports at the Seremban and Brickfields police stations respectively this morning.

Yesterday some 300 Hindraf supporters gathered at the Kamunting detention centre to protest against the lack of medical treatment for Uthayakumar.