Finally, it all makes sense. The death of former chief minister
of Tamil Nadu J Jayalalithaa was a mystery until UKbased
intensivist, Dr Richard Beale addressed a press
conference to throw more light on the illness that took
the former CM to hospital and what led to her death.
The mystery was caused more by the lack of information. From
the time she was hospitalised on 22 September last year to the
time of her death, a cloak of silence was thrown over her condition.
All that the people of TN got were a few scraps of information
and the mystery around her illness and death grew. Had
Dr Beale to not intervene, the charge made by former AIADMK
leader P M Pandian that Jayalalithaa was pushed and she
fell to the ground before being admitted to hospital might have
taken root. In the absence of credible information, people will
believe anything thrown at them. And a mysterious plot will
always catch the imagination.
Dr Beale told media persons that
when the former chief minister was
brought to the hospital she was suffering
from sepsis and had difficulty
breathing. Sepsis is a condition where
the body’s response to an infection results
in damage to its own tissue. The
condition usually occurs in persons
with weak immune systems and is
considered dangerous and fatal. In addition, Jayalalithaa was
also suffering from diabetes. She was given critical care and
from there on it was an up-and-down journey. Given the stature
and the hold she had on the imagination of her followers, media
persons wanted to know what she said, whom she spoke to
and what were her last words. Dr Beale handled the questions
with authority. As he spoke, it became known that Jayalalithaa
was unable to communicate through speech. She used gestures
and formed words with her mouth so that others could read
her lips. In the end it was a massive heart attack brought on by
complicated medical conditions that claimed her life. On the issue
of why she was not flown to the UK for better treatment, Dr
Beale said the question was whether she would have received
treatment that was not available here and the considered opinion
at that time was not to move her. More importantly, it was
Jayalalithaa who voted against being moved.
This exercise of clearing the air should have been undertaken
earlier, but now that it has been finally done, the matter should
be laid to rest. Every possible angle of suspicion was tackled
by Dr Beale with medical evidence and in the absence of any
alternate proof to suggest foul play, there is little room for vested
political interests to twist facts to their advantage. There
was an element of curiosity over whether Jayalalithaa anointed
Sasikala to be her heir, but this has been answered by the trust
and faith placed in her leadership by the AIADMK, which is the
legal entity for appointing leaders. It is now time for TN to accept
the facts, let go of the past and move on.
