All CCTV cameras were switched off during Jayalalithaa's stay, says Apollo Hospitals chairman

The CCTV cameras of the Apollo hospital's ICU ward in Chennai were switched off during the time late AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa was admitted there, the group's chairman Dr Prathap C Reddy said today.

"Unfortunately they (CCTVs) were switched off. Jayalalithaa got admitted and one ICU was completely occupied only by her. So they removed the footage because they did not want everyone to be watching," Reddy, founder and Chairman of Apollo Hospitals said.

He was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the Apollo International Colorectal Symposium 2018 in Chennai.

Jayalalithaa was admitted to Apollo hospital on 22 September 2016 and she passed away on 5 December that year.

Reddy said CCTV cameras had been turned off as Jayalalithaa was the only patient in the 24-bed intensive care unit. He said the hospital has given all necessary and relevant documents to the Justice A Arumughaswamy Commission which is currently investigating the death of Jayalalithaa.

Earlier, VK Sasikala, now jailed aide of Jayalalithaa, said that the then Tamil Nadu Chief Minister did not want to go to the hospital.

"She called to me for help. I suggested going to the hospital, but she refused. She passed out and I called the doctor for an ambulance," Sasikala told Justice A. Arumughaswamy Commission.

Two ambulances from Apollo hospital were called and Jayalalithaa was carried from her bedroom in an unconscious state on a stretcher.

Sasikala also claimed that Jayalalithaa regained consciousness in the ambulance, where she was informed that they were en route to the hospital.

Sasikala claimed that Jayalalithaa's health issues were mainly due to the stress caused by her conviction in the disproportionate assets case in September 2014.

Sasikala gave the Commission a list of 20 doctors, who had treated Jayalalithaa between November 2014 and September 2016- they work in different private hospitals in Chennai, Mumbai, and Kolkata.

Apollo Hospitals