TN hospitals halt medicine covers after Hindi printing sparks language row
Coimbatore, Oct 7 (PTI) Officials at the government hospitals in Coimbatore and Karur moved swiftly to halt the distribution of trilingual medicine covers following a fresh political controversy over Tamil Nadu's language policy.
The row erupted after packaging bearing dosage instructions in Tamil, English, and Hindi reached patients at state-run medical facilities, drawing sharp criticism from political leaders.
The issue further escalated after DMK leader T R B Rajaa shared photographs online showing the medicine covers distributed at the Karur facility, accusing authorities of covertly enforcing a three-language policy within the public healthcare network.
"It seems like the three-language policy is being implemented in Tamil Nadu hospitals too! First Karur...Now the same situation in Coimbay as well..." the former minister said on his "X" social media platform.
The hospital authorities, however, said the controversial packaging was neither new nor recently procured.
They further clarified that the sponsored pouches printed via Chinthamani Cooperative Society have been in continuous use for over 18 months, including during the previous administration's tenure.
The officials also confirmed that immediate directives were issued to halt further distribution of the trilingual covers upon discovering the oversight.
Tamil Nadu strictly adheres to a two-language policy using only Tamil and English in state education and public administration. It firmly rejects the Centre's three-language formula.
