‘My sister needs help now’
Family of supervisor injured in explosion accuses Burger King of delaying overseas medical transfer; Restaurant responds, citing need for medical authorisation to release funds
Published:Saturday | September 14, 2024 | 6:25 AMTanesha Mundle/Senior Staff Reporter
Having survived Wednesday’s explosion at Burger King’s New Kingston outlet with severe burn injuries, supervisor Kerry-Ann Folkes’ family is now desperately fighting to get her flown out of the island for specialised care and treatment.
But as Folkes’ relatives expressed frustration over what they consider the fast-food chain’s stalling of the process with unnecessary bureaucratic demands, Burger King operators, Restaurant Associates Limited (RAL), said it would spare no expense but could only act on medical advice indicating the need for overseas care.
Yesterday, Renay Folkes Johnson said that her sister should have been airlifted to one of the best burn facilities in the United States from Thursday but the family was waiting on Burger King to urgently release approximately US$69,000 to cover the cost for the air ambulance.
According to her, the company, after receiving the invoice, requested that the family provide a letter of recommendation from her doctors for Folkes to obtain overseas treatment.
In response to the accusation, RAL is insisting that they were not impeding the process and are willing to do everything in their power to ensure that Folkes gets the necessary medical care. However, they cannot act until they receive a letter from doctors recommending the overseas transfer.
In a statement yesterday evening, Chief Executive Officer of RAL, Lisa Lake, said the company had informed the family that it was prepared to facilitate the necessary medical transfer overseas.
“We are very saddened to hear that Ms Folkes’ family is of the view that they have not been offered support by Burger King. To the contrary, we have been communicating to them that no expense would be spared to implement the doctors’ recommendations for her recovery, including overseas treatment,” Lake said.
“This morning (yesterday), minutes before 11, we received an invoice from the air ambulance company and we indicated to the family within two hours that we were set up and ready to wire transfer the funds to the air ambulance company upon receiving the necessary documents.”
She continued, “The only document that is outstanding is the letter from the doctor recommending that she be transferred to an overseas facility due to the fact that the treatment for her condition cannot be obtained locally. I understand that is the family’s view.”
Lake insisted, “We can only act on medical advice in order to ensure that it is both recommended and safe for her to travel and are eagerly awaiting same to be presented to us by the family in order to maintain the doctor-patient confidentiality.”
‘I WILL HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE’
Outside the Kingston Public Hospital (KPH) yesterday, a distraught Folkes Johnson cried on the phone, “I will not prove to Burger King that she needs specialised care. There is none in Jamaica, and I need her on a plane right now.”
She said further, “My sister does not have the time for me to write a letter to prove to any insurance that she is in need of critical care and the best care available. We have all the arrangements made. The hospital is ready. The air ambulance is ready. The doctors are ready. We have the acceptance. We need the money now.”
The sister, while insisting that she was not going to beg Burger King for care for her sister, shared that she was in the process of offering her home as collateral for a loan, as she does not have the patience to wait while her sister remains in critical state.
“I will not wait and if my sister does not get the assistance that she needs right now and if any further deterioration happens, I will hold them accountable. This is now life and death, and I will not sit down any further,” Folkes Johnson said.
“We refuse to take suboptimal care which is offered to us. We need her in the best facility, and that is non-negotiable,” she declared.
The sister reiterated that emergency care for her sibling should take precedence, as paperwork can be sorted out later.
“Best care first and best care means the best facility, best care means specialised services, which is not available in Jamaica,” she said.
Furthermore, she added, “We do not have the luxury of time to go through insurance policies and to go through and prove that she is in need of care. Everyone is aware of the explosion and that speaks for itself.”
Folkes is one of two Burger King employees who were seriously injured in Wednesday morning’s blast and were admitted to KPH for treatment. Four other employees were treated and discharged on the same day from the explosion that was caused by a gas leak.
According to RAL’s CEO, they were told by the medical team that both employees were progressing well with no life-threatening injuries.
APPEALING FOR HELP
Folkes’ family is appealing to Jamaicans both here and abroad to assist in getting her transferred overseas.
Folkes Johnson said while the family recognises that local doctors may have the expertise to take care of her sister, they are not convinced the facilities are in Jamaica to provide the best care.
“Her morale is deteriorating the longer she stays in this hospital,” she said.
Lake explained that, “Yesterday, we offered for both patients that were admitted to KPH to be transferred up to the Tony Thwaites Wing at UHWI (University Hospital of the West Indies) where we believe they would be more comfortable and under the expert care of the plastic surgeons up there.
“One patient agreed to the transfer and has been comfortable up by Tony Thwaites since yesterday. Ms Folkes’ family decided for her to remain at KPH.”
She continued, “We do understand that it is their desire to have her transfer for care overseas and we have indicated to them from the very beginning that we stand by to do whatever the doctors determine is the best course of treatment.”
“Having explicitly stated to the family that we are ready to make immediate payment upon receiving the medical confirmation and clearance, which we understand to be standard, we are really surprised that the family has instead sought to solicit donations from the public,” Lake said.
“That said, our offer still stands and we are committed to cover whatever treatment cost that the doctors recommend is best for her recovery.”
Persons wishing to help Kerry-Ann Folkes can donate to Renay Vannessa Folkes Johnson, NCB Duke Street, savings account number 064940554.