J Jayalalithaa death: Panel summons UK doc, O Panneerselvam, health minister
Chennai: The Justice A. Arumugasamy commission, which is probing the circumstances leading to the death of former chief minister J Jayalalithaa, on Friday, summoned Dr Richard Beale, the UK-based doctor who treated Jayalalithaa, deputy chief minister O. Panneerselvam, health minister C .Vijayabaskar, and Lok Sabha deputy speaker M. Thambidurai, to appear before it in the second week of January.
Prof Dr Richard Beale, an intensivist from the London Bridge Hospital, was consulted by Apollo Hospital specialists for treatment of Jayalalithaa, who was admitted to the hospital in September 2016.
Prof Dr Richard Beale is likely to appear from London through video-conferencing facility on January 9, and answer queries. The commission directed Apollo Hospital to coordinate the appearance of Dr Beale, before the commission through video-conferencing on January 9, 2019, by 3 pm (IST) without fail.
The commission has also directed minister Vijaya Baskar to appear before it on January 7. O Panneerselvam and M. Thambidurai are expected to appear before the Commission on January 8 and 11.
The latest in a slew of controversies that has plagued the death of former AIADMK supremo, was an outstanding bill amount of Rs 44 lakh, yet to be paid to Apollo Hospital.
According to a bill summary submitted by the hospital to the probe commission, the total cost of treatment and other services amounted to Rs 6.86 crore, but only Rs 6.41 crore had been paid, and authorities are yet to clear an outstanding amount of Rs 44 lakh to the hospital. The hospital paid Rs 92 lakh to Dr Beale for professional services offered by him.
Affidavit filed for medical board: Meanwhile, the Apollo hospital on Friday filed an affidavit before the commission seeking to constitute a medical board at the earliest, to analyze the medical records submitted before the commission regarding the treatment provided to Jayalalithaa.
In the petition, the hospital stated that based on the commission's direction, it had submitted 30 volumes of medical records which included 15 CDs of Echo Cardiograms, multiple X-rays, biochemistry, microbiology reports, ECMO charts and several medical reports, related to Jayalalithaa's treatment. The late CM suffered from a complete matrix of diseases and each one overlapped the other, and only a full understanding of the synchrony between all her medical issues can lead to a conclusion that would be helpful to the commission to provide the final report.
On a request from the commission, the state government had given its nod to the commission to form an expert medical team to examine the treatment and the medical documents relating to Jayalalithaa's treatment, and the commission intends to pick four medical experts of its choice to carry forward the examination.
But the hospital on its part has requested the commission to constitute a medical board consisting of doctors/medical professionals of 21 specialties including a critical care specialist, a cardiologist, a diabetologist, an urologist, a neurologist, a radiologists and gastroenterologist, to examine the facts and circumstances of CM's medical condition and appropriateness of treatment provided to her.
