PM’s pacemaker surgery successful

PRIME MINISTER Patrick Manning’s pacemaker insertion was successful, and he seems set to return home tomorrow. Manning went to Cuba last Saturday for the procedure. Contacted yesterday, Manning’s local cardiologist Dr Rasheed Rahaman told Newsday he examined the Prime Minister before he left for Cuba, and he was in good health. Dr Rahaman said the Prime Minister “just went for a routine procedure” and the pacemaker insertion was purely a precautionary measure for Manning’s irregular heartbeat. He said there was no reason to fear the worst just because there has been no official word on the Prime Minister’s condition since his departure. Manning’s pacemaker insertion is believed to have been completed 48 hours after his arrival in Cuba, and a senior Government official said the procedure was successful and the Prime Minister was well.

While Government officials yesterday said they had no information about when Manning would be returning home, checks by Newsday revealed that BWIA has flights from Havana to Port-of-Spain on Thursdays and Sundays, and flights from Port-of-Spain to Havana on Wednesdays and Saturdays. This means that Manning could be on the lone BWIA flight from Havana which arrives at Piarco International Airport at 5 am tomorrow morning. The Prime Minister reportedly left for Cuba on BWIA 438 at 8.40 pm last Saturday. According to the Prime Minister’s schedule of public engagements for next week, Manning is carded to speak at a recall session workshop on Non-Traditional Skills Training Programme at the Adult Education Centre in St Ann’s at 2 pm today. He is also scheduled to speak at the 30th annual conference of delegates of National Land Tenants and Ratepayers at the Rudranath Capildeo Learning Centre in McBean, Couva, at 9 am tomorrow. From all indications, however, acting Prime Minister Joan Yuille-Williams will deputise for Manning at both of these functions.