Retired HM who hailed Anandaiah potion dies of lung infection

NELLORE: The sixty-year-old retired headmaster Baina Kotaiah of Thinnelapudi village in Kota mandal, who was in the news in recent days, died while undergoing treatment at the Government General Hospital in Nellore on Monday. He had been tested negative for Covid at the time of admission.

Kotaiah shot into fame after the release of a video clip wherein he praised the Anandaiah ayurvedic concoction. He had stated in the video that he could recover from breathing issues after taking the herbal eye drops at Krishnapatnam.

The retired headmaster was admitted to the GGH on May 23 with serious lung infection besides cough and breathlessness. In view of the present buzz surrounding him, the local authorities had deputed a team of doctors including a pulmonologist, a physician and other experts to save him.

Speaking to the media here on Monday, medical officer Dr Sophia said the CT scan score of Kotaiah was 22/25 and both his lungs were damaged to the extent of 90 per cent by May 28.

“Since it was a high-risk case, we have treated him in the ICU on the third floor at the GGH. His oxygen saturation levels were hovering between 70 and 80 per cent then.”

Though he had comorbidities such as BP and diabetes, they were under check. His condition deteriorated on May 30 and he collapsed around 7am on Monday” Dr Sophia explained.

Kotaiah's son Sandeep said he has no complaint against Anandaiah’s herbal medicine. They had found a good improvement after administering the same and Kotaiah had tested negative later. “We blame our fate and not the Anandaiah medicine” Sandeep said.

Sandeep and his sister Aruna took possession of the body of their father from the mortuary in GGH on Monday afternoon.

The last rites were done at Swarnamukhi River near Thinnelapudi village.

Sandeep, 31, and sister Aruna, 28, are in deep shock. Their mother Bhudevi died about four years ago due to brain tumour. Sandeep said he had borrowed Rs 30 lakh for the treatment of the mother. Both he and his sister could not pursue studies after intermediate as they were busy serving their bedridden mother.

He said they lived under the shade of asbestos sheets as their father’s dream to build a house was shattered by the expenditure they incurred for treatment of their mother. Saying that they don’t have any close relatives, he appealed to the government to help him and his sister secure jobs.