Speaker Karu Jayasuriya unseated
Speaker Karu Jayasuriya, constitutionally the third in line of succession in Sri Lanka in the Order of Precedence after the President and the Prime Minister and requiring urgent medical attention overseas, was offloaded from an Emirates Airlines flight from Colombo to Singapore minutes after he took his First Class seat last Tuesday (July 12).
He was to travel to seek medical attention for a heart ailment, accompanied by his daughter Lanka Dissanayake, a doctor attached to the World Health Organisation (WHO) for 20 years. A team of doctors treated him at a private hospital in Colombo but had advised that he travel to Singapore for advanced treatment there. The Colombo hospital had contacted its counterpart in Singapore, briefed it on the requirements and urged a medical team to standby.
Speaking to the Sunday Times, a member of Mr. Jayasuriya’s immediate family related what happened.“Flights were booked for travel through Emirates on EK 348 due to depart Colombo at 3pm on Tuesday July 12. The need for a wheelchair was explained and inquiries were also made from Emirates on the availability of oxygen on the flight. The information given was that oxygen is available in the emergency kit. The inquiry was made only as a precautionary measure. Even during the hospital treatment Mr. Jayasuriya never received oxygen. When the booking was done there was no information given by Emirates on the need for a medical clearance certificate by the hospital that discharged him.
“Mr. Jayasuriya came to the airport boarding area by wheelchair and then walked to his allocated seat in the first class area when an airline staffer asked about a medical clearance certificate. The discharge summary from hospital was provided but was not accepted by an airline staffer. A discussion ensued on the issue and the airline decided to contact its United States health centre by telephone. Mr. Jayasuriya’s daughter informed them that it was possible to get an immediate clearance certificate from the discharging hospital within 10 minutes. This was not accepted by the airline staffer handling the matter. It was then pointed out
that it could be faxed by the local hospital directly to whatever number they wished.“The airline staffer then proceeded to fill in a questionnaire using the discharge summary and asked a few questions from the accompanying passenger, Dr. Lanka Dissanayake (wife of Plantation Affairs Minister Navin Dissanayake) and then sent the information to their United States office. The Bandaranaike International Airport has a medical desk. The medical officer could have issued a certificate, if it was necessary, but he was not contacted by the airline. After about 20 minutes, an Emirates staffer said that their "US" desk had claimed that Mr. Jayasuriya is not fit to fly. This judgement was based on the form submitted by the Emirates staffer.
Whilst the discussion was going on, the luggage had already been offloaded by airline staff. Neither Mr. Jayasuriya nor his daughter was informed.
“While acknowledging the rules of the airlines questions remain: Why was the need for medical clearance not told to us by Emirates when the request for wheelchair and oxygen was made? Why was the offer of obtaining the required clearance by the discharging hospital refused by the officer especially when the process would have taken less than 10 minutes? Why was the airport medical officer not consulted to obtain the required clearance? How can an Emirates staffer just look at a medical discharge summary and fill in details of medical history? The form was not shown to the daughter who herself is a qualified medical officer? Why was the luggage offloaded before conclusive discussions were finalised? “The staffer’s conduct forced Speaker Jayasuriya to disembark from the aircraft and proceed to a hotel in Negombo. This was until his travel to Singapore, more than ten hours later, was arranged on Singapore Airlines. He boarded the Singapore Airlines flight at 3 a.m. on Wednesday – 12 hours after he was scheduled to leave by Emirates. Thus, medical staff in the Singapore hospital were kept waiting until Mr. Jayasuriya’s arrival. The Singapore Airlines staff raised no questions and were most courteous."
Emirates Country Manager Chandana de Silva when contacted yesterday by the Sunday Times said he needed to get details from his airport staff, but he had heard that the Speaker left on a Singapore Airlines flight. Speaker Jayasuriya is still in Singapore undergoing medical tests.