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Tamil Nadu Health Minister Ma Subramanian said that V Senthil Balaji is likely to undergo a coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery at Kauvery Hospital in Chennai, on Wednesday.
Subramanian said that Balaji did not know that he had critical blocks in the heart.
“When it was first diagnosed by the doctors in Omandurar (Tamil Nadu Government Multi Super Speciality Hospital), his family members wanted a second opinion. A senior interventional cardiologist, Sengottuvelu, from Apollo Hospitals met him. He also said there were blocks in the critical vessels of the heart,” he said.
Subramanian said that the statement by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the Supreme Court that minister V Senthil Balaji faked chest pain during his arrest amounted to doubting the integrity and medical skills of over 20,000 government doctors in Tamil Nadu and “lakhs of ESIC doctors working across India”.
"Tamil Nadu has 20,000 government doctors. ESIC has lakhs of doctors across the country. The ED statement is like doubting the integrity and medical skills of these doctors,” the minister said.
"Will anyone fake symptoms and undergo a heart surgery whatever the reason may be?" Subramanian said.
Balaji was arrested by the ED on June 14 in connection with a money laundering case. He is currently in judicial custody till June 28.
