By Staff Writer
Early medevac plans fell through last Thursday to medevac the former Prime Minister and opposition leader Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi to New Zealand
The Director General of Health, Leausa Dr. Take Naseri, confirmed the unsuccessful attempts to fly him out early.
“ New Zealand is under Code Red with their COVID pandemic security and hospitals are under pressure handling more patients,” Leausa explained.
“Standard hospital conditions for the accommodation of medevac patients on arrival could not be met for now so we had to call off the Thursday airlift.”
But the Director General confirmed noticeable improvements in the opposition leader since he was admitted for observation last Tuesday night at the TTM Hospital.
The 76-year-old Tuilaepa was suspected of dehydration and the doctors decided to keep him under close watch in hospital as a precautionary measure.
It was the second time in about 4-weeks he is confined to a hospital bed for health reasons.
Tuilaepa flew out yesterday on the Saturday turn around trip for the Air New Zealand flight repatriating passengers from New Zealand.
He is accompanied by his wife, Gillian Malielegaoi.
He is expected to be away when Parliament is again called to session next Tuesday after a short break.
Tuilaepa managed to attend briefly the last meeting of Parliament to debate and finally pass the Supplementary Estimates for the new financial year.
The arriving travellers on the inbound flight were prevented by COVID lockdown in Samoa from landing on the cancelled flight of 22 January 2022.
The Chief Justice was expected to be among the new arrivals including other members of the Judiciary.