A definitive decision is yet to be made by family members concerning the fate of PNCR executive member Winston Murray who remains on a respirator in the Intensive Care Unit of the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH), his son Mark said yesterday.
Speaking to this newspaper by telephone Mark said, “everything remains the same” and that the family still has not made a decision on Murray’s future. He said too that family members continue to arrive in the country.
An associate of Murray had told this newspaper on Wednesday that the possibility of conducting further tests on him was being considered. When asked about this, Mark was unable to provide any information.
The source had told this newspaper that a specialist from Trinidad and Tobago might be flown in to conduct an Electroencephalogram (EEG) test. An EEG is a test that measures and records the electrical activity of the brain.
Meanwhile, the party members who are supporting Murray’s bid to become the party’s presidential candidate issued a release yesterday expressing their concern at the manner in which his medical condition is being mischaracterized in the media. They said he is not brain dead.
The members of the group include Dr Richard Van West Charles, Kads Khan, Gillian Burton, Malcolm Parris, Ronald Austin, Mark Walkes, James Bond, Aubrey Norton, Mervyn Williams, Jeffrey Thomas, Priest Mwanza, Eugene Gilbert, Earl Lambert and Neville Calistro.
According to the release, “It is regrettable that some sections of the media have taken to referring to Mr Winston Murray’s medical condition as ‘brain dead’. This description is not accurate. It rules out any possibility of improvement and surgery, however, small the window of opportunity. His medical condition continues to be closely monitored.”
The release said that after Sunday’s evaluation by Professor Ivor Crandon to determine the readiness for surgical intervention, it was concluded that there was no evidence of brain function. Based on this, coupled with the patient’s unstable cardiovascular state and blood chemistry Dr Crandon advised that a surgical intervention should not be performed.
The group called on “party members, supporters and all Guyanese to offer a word of prayer for Mr Winston Murray and to urge that there be patience as we give him the opportunity to get the best treatment that such an outstanding son of Guyana deserves.”
Murray, 69, collapsed while standing in a line at McDoom, East Bank Demerara, last Thursday evening and gave his car key to a public-spirited citizen whom he told to take him to the Balwant Singh Hospital. He was later transferred to the GPH.
