Parliament holds moment of silence in memory of MP Susanna Haapoja
Susanna Haapoja (1966-2009)
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The Finnish Parliament began its Tuesday session by holding a moment’s silence in memory of Centre Party MP Susanna Haapoja, who passed away on Saturday.
In the plenary debating chamber, Haapoja’s empty desk was decorated with flowers.
Haapoja, 42, sustained a cerebral haemorrhage on Friday during a ceremony installing a new director of the Training Air Wing of the Finnish Air Force in Kauhava. An emergency operation was performed on Haapoja at the Tampere University Central Hospital (TAYS) on Friday, but the attempt to save the MP’s life proved unsuccessful and she died the next day.
Days before the Friday episode Haapoja had complained about dizziness to her parliamentary colleagues.
The breakdown of the ambulance that transferred Haapoja to Tampere has received a fair amount of coverage in the Finnish media.
From Kauhava, Haapoja was first transferred to the nearby Seinäjoki Central Hospital, from where an ambulance set off to take her to Tampere. Between Parkano and Ikaalinen, however, the vehicle suffered a technical fault. An emergency exchange immediately dispatched a new ambulance to complete the transportation.
In an interview in the late edition tabloid Ilta-Sanomat, regional director Timo Palo of Helsinki Paramedic Ambulance Ltd said that the change of vehicles took no more than twenty minutes. According to Palo, patient safety was not compromised by this.
Susanna Haapoja was elected to Parliament in 2003, and stood again successfully two years ago. She also chaired the Kauhava City Council.
Helsingin Sanomat
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| 3.6.2009 - TODAY |
 Parliament holds moment of silence in memory of MP Susanna Haapoja
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