For more than a decade, Channel 6 owner and leader of the Justice For All Party Chandra Narine Sharma has been suffering from a heart condition. Before he left here for treatment several weeks ago Sharma had made three futile attempts to be admitted to the Caribbean Heart Institute (CHI).
Sharma’s medical history as it relates to this condition was outlined in a statement issued by his office yesterday. The statement came after Stabroek News published a news item questioning Sharma’s location and his medical condition.
In the mid 1990s, the statement reported, Sharma was diagnosed with angina. This diagnosis was made by Dr Hanoman. In subsequent years the condition developed even as Sharma was being treated locally.
Dr Hanoman found in January of this year that Sharma would need to have a pacemaker. In February, Sharma was admitted to the CHI where stent surgery was done. Several months later, in April, a Holter monitor done at CHI confirmed that Sharma was suffering from Sick Sinus Syndrome (SSS).
A week after SSS was diagnosed, according to the statement, Sharma was admitted to CHI with complaints of palpitations and irregular heart beats. Sharma, up to this point, had spent about $1.6 million on treatment at CHI.
On September 16, Sharma was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Dr Balwant Singh’s Hospital and was discharged the following day. After unsuccessfully seeking admission to CHI Sharma was again admitted to the ICU on September 21 and discharged a second time three days later.
The day after his second discharge from Balwant Singh’s Hospital (September 25) Sharma made a second attempt to be admitted to CHI. He had been complaining about chest pains again and was subsequently admitted to the ICU at Balwant Singh’s a third time where he suffered cardiac arrest, the statement reported.
Sharma, the statement added, was resuscitated and following this he was referred to the CHI by personnel at Balwant Singh’s hospital. On September 26, according to the statement, the third and final attempt was made to have Sharma admitted to CHI.
During the last two attempts to have Sharma admitted to the CHI, relatives were reportedly told by the nurses there that “while they were willing to admit Mr Sharma to the CHI, they were unable to make contact with the doctors or specialist to look at him.” It was after this that relatives decided to have Sharma flown overseas for treatment. Sharma’s attorney, Nigel Hughes, later made an application to the High Court seeking permission for his client to travel in the face of the carnal knowledge allegations currently before him at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.
On September 27, Sharma, in company of his wife Savitree Singh-Sharma, was flown via medi-vac to Trinidad for further medical attention. Sharma, according to the statement, spent four days at the St Clair Medical Centre in Trinidad and they indicated that tests which needed to be done would take several weeks.
Dr Pratik Soni and Dr Ashish Chavan have confirmed Dr Hanoman’s findings that Sharma may need to have a pacemaker inserted, the statement said. On October 6 Sharma was flown from Trinidad to Canada for further treatment. He consulted with Dr S Kanani of CML Healthcare Inc who recommended that he consult a specialist. The specialist then confirmed Sharma’s medical condition and advised that several weeks of tests would be needed to determine whether he would have to undergo open heart surgery or would need to have a pacemaker inserted.
Sharma, according to the statement, arrived back in Guyana on October 28.
He is due to attend court on November 10 and December 3 for his court matters.
Sharma was charged earlier this year with carnal knowledge of a child who was seven years old at the time. The charge stemmed from allegations made by the now 13-year-old complainant.
He was granted $2 million bail on that charge and his passport was handed over to the court.
