A two-year-old video of Richard Beale, the London-based intensivist who treated late Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, saying that she herself did not want to be taken abroad for treatment, surfaced on Monday.
Talking about her going abroad, Dr. Beale said V.K. Sasikala, close aide of Jayalalithaa “asked me whether it was necessary and I said...I think if we had said she must go, they would have said yes.”
He added: “I think it was exactly what I said in the (press) meeting…it was a difficult balance, later madam (Jayalalithaa) herself didn’t want to go.”
Leaked video
The video was reportedly shot in February 2017, when he was in Chennai to address a press conference organised by the Tamil Nadu government. It was leaked to some television channels on Monday. The person who is asking him questions then wonders aloud why Apollo Hospitals did not call him after November 2, 2016.
“That I don’t know. I was in touch with Babu (Dr. Babu Abraham)…but exactly why I was not able to come in…or what they felt.”
“She was certainly improving…they felt she was making progress,” he added.
Dr. Beale was supposed to testify before the Justice (retd) A. Arumughaswamy Commission on January 9, but the proceedings have been adjourned to January 10 when Health Minister C. Vijaya Baskar is supposed to provide his testimony.