Short lived operations of Australian rehab clinic in Sri Lanka being investigated as death of a former patient raises issues of care

An Age and SMH investigation into the short-lived operations of Australia’s biggest private drug rehabilitation operators, the Seasons Hader Group's overseas resort-style clinic in Colombo last year,   has raised serious questions about the clinic’s duty of care to a vulnerable patient, as its Australian and Sri Lankan partners each point the finger of blame at the other.

Founded in 1997 by addict-turned-rehab-guru, Richard Smith, the Seasons Hader Group is headquartered in Melbourne and has clinics in Geelong and Essendon. It also has an office and a clinic in Queensland. For a brief time, it was operating in Thailand, Sri Lanka and Bali. Now, Bali is the only overseas clinic still open.

In August last year,  the Seasons Hader Group, launched its newest overseas resort-style clinic in Colombo.

But less than five months later, the Seasons Sri Lanka clinic was no more. Its abrupt closure came suddenly, just days after a patient discharged in controversial circumstances on New Year’s Day was found dead in a  Colombo park, the victim of a suspected murder.

At the newly opened Seasons Sri Lanka, treatment was cheaper than clinics in Australia, and, in November last year, British man Charles Beare, 37, sought its services thanks to the generosity of friends and family who raised about $12,000 to help him finally overcome his 20-year battle with drugs.

Mr Beare had started out using ecstasy and marijuana before a long dalliance with heroin, a WA Today report said.

But all were hopeful the expertise promised by Seasons Sri Lanka’s Australian staff would get him clean and keep him that way.

But according to sources familiar with the facility, Seasons Sri Lanka was not all it was made out to be. It did have a swimming pool as promised, but there were questions about the direct alcohol and drug treatment expertise of some of the staff, several of which were reformed addicts.

Here, patients such as Mr Beare underwent an abstinence-based, 12-step detoxification program and were also offered group and individual counselling, yoga, meditation and physical therapy.

The Australian management of the Seasons Hader Group said the majority of frontline staff in Sri Lanka had undergone a rigorous three-month induction program and had qualifications in counselling and related areas.

Duty of care

For Mr Beare, things began to go wrong on New Year’s Day. He and an Australian patient whom Fairfax Media has decided not to name, went on a supervised excursion from the former Colombo orphanage where the Seasons Sri Lanka clinic was based. They visited a market where it’s believed they bought about 900 Valium tablets for less than $10.

Back at the clinic later that day, it became obvious that Mr Beare and his Australian friend were affected by drugs. Being in that state and bringing drugs into the clinic was a clear breach of the “cardinal rule” of having no mood or mind-altering substances on site. Both men were discharged, and were quickly booked on flights to their respective homelands.

According to a source working at Seasons Sri Lanka at the time, Mr Beare was highly distressed at the prospect. He had consumed more Valium and was not in control of himself, the former staff member said. Mr Beare said he was ashamed, believing he had let down those who had sponsored him.

Still, rules are rules and he was taken to Colombo’s airport.

Back in the UK, Mr Beare’s mother, Maryanne Beare, was expecting her son to arrive home on January 3 or 4. Instead, she got a telephone call from a British foreign office official. Her son was dead. His post-mortem report detailed a suspicious scene.

The Sri Lanka connection

The Season Hader Group’s joint venture partner in the clinic was a Sri Lankan security company, Certis Lanka, which is wholly owned by the Singapore government’s investment arm. Certis Lanka did have a small nursing subsidiary but no experience in treating addiction.

But the day after Mr Beare’s death, it was a Certis Lanka security guard who broke the news to staff and patients at the clinic, according to a former staff member. Asked how he knew Beare had died, the guard reportedly explained that Certis Lanka had good police contacts.

The unexpected death of Mr Beare appears to have been the catalyst for the sudden closure of Seasons Sri Lanka, the country’s first western-style rehab clinic.

Mr Oppy declined to answer specific questions about Mr Beare’s death or the clinic’s sudden closure.

Although he appears on a promotional video for the Sri Lanka clinic introducing himself as the “Seasons Sri Lanka general manager”, Mr Oppy said the clinic was at no times under Australian management.

“Seasons Sri Lanka was at all times under the management and direction of Certis Lanka,” he said in a statement.

“The Hader Group provided advice, training and intellectual property to Seasons Sri Lanka in a philanthropic exercise to bring best practice drug and alcohol treatment to the community of Sri Lanka. At no time was Seasons Sri Lanka under the management of The Hader Group or did we receive any financial benefit. Seasons Sri Lanka was at all times under the management and direction of Certis Lanka.”

But the director general of Certis Lanka, Jeevaka Wijesinghe, has a contrary view.

“I suggest you speak to Richard Smith, Jackson Oppy or Justin Nolan, as they are the people who were in charge of Total Operations, Clinical and General Management functions of the Season Rehab Project.”

Mr Wijesinghe said Certis Lanka only provided the premises for the clinic and security, cleaning and gardening services.

He said Certis Lanka ended its agreement with Seasons Hader Group and pulled out of the clinic when the company began to incur losses. An email seen by The Age/SMH shows Certis Lanka decided to pull out of the clinic two days after Mr Beare's death.

As for Mr Beare’s death, Mr Oppy said: “Our own investigations into the circumstances of Mr Beare’s tragic death found that correct policies and procedures were followed at all times in relation to Mr Beare’s admission, treatment and discharge.

“Mr Beare was not in the care of Seasons Sri Lanka at the time of his passing.”