PM arrives in Cuba for his pacemaker

PRIME MINISTER Patrick Manning arrived safely in Cuba early yesterday morning and could have his pacemaker insertion done within the next 48 hours. The Prime Minister was due to leave Trinidad on BWIA Flight 438 at 8.40 pm on Saturday night and arrive in Havana around 12.30 am yesterday. Government officials told Newsday that from all indications, Manning’s flight arrived in Cuba on schedule. The officials declined to say when the pacemaker insertion would take place, adding that it was a private matter. However, the procedure is a routine one and could take place sometime today or tomorrow. The Prime Minister is expected to be out of TT for four days and an official hinted that he would return home on Wednesday.

Last week, a statement from Whitehall said the decision for Manning to have a pacemaker insertion was based on the advice of medical practitioners as a result of a routine medical analysis on his heart which he underwent in Cuba the previous week. “This procedure has been pending for some time, is expected to take 45 minutes and is usually performed under local anaesthetic,” the statement said. A previous Whitehall statement said Manning went to Cuba for a heart check-up two weeks ago because the doctors who performed the initial procedure would have been in the best position to make a proper diagnosis. On April 21, 1998, Manning underwent a three and a half hour operation in Cuba to repair two valves in his heart which were damaged by rheumatic fever when he was 13 years old.

Manning said the operation was made possible through an offer extended to him by Cuban officials in August 1995 when Cuban President Fidel Castro attended the inaugural Association of Caribbean States summit in Port-of-Spain. Cuban doctors have been helping to fill critical vacancies in the health sector, and last week Health Minister John Rahael spoke about the positive effects they are having on the delivery of health care to the population, particularly in remote parts of TT. Government officials said statements made by the Medical Professionals Association of TT about the Prime Minister’s pacemaker insertion were uninformed. One official said it was a known fact that many citizens travel to Venezuela to undergo similar medical procedures and this was not an indictment of TT’s health sector but a matter of choice.

Cardiologist Dr Roy Tilluckdharry said having a pacemaker will not require Manning to alter his lifestyle but he will have to avoid metal detectors and any device which emits electronic waves. At last Thursday’s post-Cabinet news conference at Whitehall, Public Administration Minister Dr Lenny Saith said Manning chaired Cabinet’s weekly meeting and appeared to be in good health. Following yesterday’s PNM General Council meeting at Manning’s San Fernando East constituency office, party vice-chairman John Donaldson said the PNM had not received any news about Manning’s pacemaker insertion since he departed for Cuba. Education Minister Hazel Manning was not present at yesterday’s meeting.