Jayalalithaa's Apollo hospital bill includes Rs. 1.17 cr for food/beverages
What's the story
Apollo Hospital, where AIADMK leader and former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa was hospitalized, submitted the hospital bill to Justice Arumughasamy Commission on Tuesday which shows dues to the tune of Rs. 44 lakh are still unsettled. The total hospital bill is Rs. 6.86 crore, out of which Rs. 1.17 crore is for food and beverages alone. Jayalalithaa was hospitalized for 75 days.
The bill
Here's a breakdown of the expenses
The Commission headed by Justice A Arumughaswamy is probing circumstances leading to Jayalalithaa's death on December 5, 2016. The hospital submitted a document for the same which shows it received Rs. 6.41 crore. The bill was divided into three heads: Rs. 1.92 crore for 'patient bill healthcare services,' Rs. 2.21 crore for 'profession charges' and Rs. 2.72 crore for 'room rent/food and beverages/engineering services'.
Details
Rs. 48 lakh was spent on media persons stationed outside
After a copy of the bill found its way on social media, the hospital was slammed for charging Rs. 1.17 crore for food and beverages. As a result, the hospital authorities clarified that the bill was not for food provided to Jayalalithaa but to ministers, senior party members, and reporters who were stationed outside. Notably, Rs. 48 lakh was spent on refreshments of media.
What's paid
AIADMK claimed taxpayers' money wasn't used to pay bill
The bill underlines that Rs. 6 crore of the outstanding amount was paid by AIADMK in June, 2017, but didn't reveal the source of another payment of Rs. 41 lakh in October of the same year. In June, the ruling party had said they paid the money from AIADMK's treasury and didn't use people's tax money for the same.