The mental and physical ordeal that Jeeja Ghosh, a person with cerebral palsy, underwent, thanks to insensitive Captain Utprabh Tiwari of SpiceJet, is perhaps unparalleled in the annals of aviation history. The action of the Captain and the ground staff who succumbed to his dictates, deserve to be condemned. Their action was an insult to the disabled community.
Capt. T. Raju (retd.),
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
I had to move an unconscious patient of mine from Hyderabad to Thiruvananthapuram, changing two flights for an emergency surgery, 18 years ago. The conduct of Indian Airlines was exemplary. I vividly recall the names of Kapoor, Vivek and Ms Khan who helped me put the patient on the flight carefully. The ambulance driver of the airlines at Thiruvananthapuram rendered remarkable help.
More recently, the captain of a ship who had undergone an emergency tracheastomy for advanced cancer had to be sent to his town in Europe. Austrian Airways assigned its medical officer from Vienna online to work with me on the patient's specific requirements.
It would be appropriate for SpiceJet to tender an apology, improve its staff attitude and adequately compensate Jeeja Ghosh for the gaffe.
ADVERTISEMENT
Ravi Vadrevu,
Kakinada