This outrageous incident happened in India and involved the country’s Luan Airways. The case involved the patient, Surendra Boruah, who was suffering from septicemia. In spite of paying the full money in advance, the medical flight service provider refused to carry the patient as he did not posses the certificate clearing him of swine flu. The family of the patient had already paid over $14,000 for the domestic medical flight. India is country where health insurance is not very prevalent and medical expenses are often borne by individuals in full.
They Went through Great Pains to Fund the Medical Flight
Coming up with $14,000 for the medical flight was no joke for Surendra’s family. They had to borrow money by pledging the family land to raise the money. However, when the family reached the airport, located about 18 kilometers away, they were made to wait for hours as the officials responsible for operation of the medical flight constantly refused to take the patient aboard. The bone of contention was the fact that the patient had no medical certificate stating that he was free of swine flu.
The Medical Flight Service Provider had not Intimated the Family
The family of the patient alleged that they were not informed about the need for swine flu clearance by the medical flight service provider. They only came to know about the requirement on arrival at the airport. The patient was lying on the stretcher, suffering severe septicemia that had spread to different parts of his body. The family also said that the patient had shown no signs of septicemia.
The Cost of Medical Flight was Not Refunded in Full
Here’s the most atrocious part of this whole episode. According to the family of the patient, they were refused a full refund of the amount they had paid in full. In fact, more than $4500 was deducted as cancellation charge and fine. This, in spite of the air ambulance company itself cancelling the flight! The family has now decided to sue Luan Airways.
