Dr. Cheddi JaganPresident of Guyana

The President of Guyana, His Excellency Dr. Cheddi Jagan, suffered a heart attack late in the night of Friday, February 14. He was airlifted from Guyana to the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington DC, USA. Here are the updates that were presented on the News From Guyana page as the news developed.

• Picture of President Jagan as he left Georgetown Hospital in order to be transported to Washington, DC.
• Statement by the First Lady of Guyana, Mrs. Janet Jagan regarding the circumstances surrounding the President's heart attack
  
• SPECIAL REPORT: President Jagan's Medical Crisis (Courtesy of Indo Caribbean World)
  

• A now confirmed report to this page has stated that about 1:30 pm on Saturday, a United States Air Force C-130 transport plane had just landed at Timehri International Airport. It is believed that this plane will fly the President into the United States.
• According to wire reports, the President has left Timehri Airport on board the US Air Force plane.
• He is to be taken to a US Air Force base in Panama and then to Washington DC where he will undergo tests at the Walter Reed military hospital.
• Wire reports from Guyana said that Dr. Jagan smiled and waved as he left Georgetown Hospital on a stretcher for transport to Timehri Airport.
• President Jagan arrived at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland on Sunday afternoon (16 February). He is currently undergoing medical tests at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC.

• Last night President Jagan suffered cardiac complications which required emergency intervention at Walter Reed's Cardiac Catherisation Laboratory.
• President Cheddi Jagan was this morning (Monday 17) reported as being in relatively stable condition after a difficult night when he underwent angioplasty procedures for four hours to clear a clogged artery.
• This "ballon intervention" procedure was a success although the President blood pressure is still not fully under control.
• The President woke up this morning to greet his daughter, Nadira, after which he requested to see First Lady Janet Jagan. Mrs. Jagan and their son Cheddi Jagan Jnr. are staying in a suite at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington DC.
• The First Lady expressed cautious optimism for the recovery of the President, and she said that the next 48 hours would be critical in assessing progress in the President's condition.
• The Government of Guyana has urged all Guyanese to remain calm and for citizens to keep hope alive.
• As of 10:45pm tonight (Monday 17th) the President's situation has not been updated. The last word from the hospital came this morning confirming that the President is resting in relatively stable condition.

12:00 noon

• Dr. Jagan's vital functions are being supported and maintained at the Coronary Crisis Ward of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC.
• He is in serious but stable condition.
• The President is alert and in his full senses.

9:00 pm

• A source at the Embassy of Guyana, Washington DC confirmed that the President's situation is unchanged. He is still in a serious but stable condition

• As of 7:30am this morning the President's medical situation is unchanged.

12:30 pm

• The President's situation remains the same. He continues to receive medical care.
• According to doctors at Walter Reed, Dr. Jagan's condition remains stable.
• Dr. Jagan is fully conscious and has been writing brief notes on his own.

3:30 pm

• The President's respiratory and heart functions are still receiving life support. Further heart tests were performed this morning on Dr. Jagan.
• All options are being pursued in the Coronary Crisis Ward at Walter Reed Army Medical Center to take the President out of the critical state in which he has been since a 4-hour angioplasty intervention Sunday night to clear a clogged artery.
• Meanwhile, the President of the United States, Bill Clinton, spoke by telephone to First Lady Janet Jagan yesterday and said that he was praying for Dr. Jagan's recovery.

• The medical specialists attending to the President have reported a decreasing dependence by Dr. Jagan on drugs to support his blood pressure.
• Doctors also report a continuing improvement of the President's respiratory system.
• The major critical area remains the heart function and recent tests have indicated the need for continued life support in that area. These tests are being done to determine how much of the President's heart muscle functions have recovered to allow any phase withdrawal of the cardiac life support device.
• Doctors at the prestigious Walter Reed Army Medical Center stated that they are impressed by the strong will of the President to come out of his difficulties.
• On a Voice of America radio broadcast yesterday, the President's son, Dr. Cheddi Jagan Jr., stated "The President is thinking about his people and his country a hundred per cent and whenever I talk to him that's all he is concerned about."

• United States President Bill Clinton and former US President Jimmy Carter have both expressed best wishes to Guyana's First Lady Janet Jagan for the speedy recovery of President Cheddi Jagan. Former US Ambassador to Guyana, George Jones has also telephoned Mrs. Jagan conveying his best wishes
• President Clinton also said he is extending all possible help in the treatment of the Guyanese Head of State.
• Secretary General of the Organization of American States, Cesar Gaviria conveyed his best wishes on behalf of the OAS and on his behalf to the Government and people of Guyana, hoping for full recovery of the President.
• Guyana's Ambassador to the OAS, Dr. Odeen Ishmael, briefed the Permanent Council of the OAS on the President's condition yesterday. All members of the council expressed concern at the President's illness.
• In addition, the Guyana Embassy in Washington and the Ambassador's residence have been fielding hundreds of calls daily from Guyanese and other persons around the US and Canada, expressing their concern and hopes for President Jagan's full recovery.

• In Georgetown, an inter-faith prayer service for the President was held on Tuesday. Anglican Bishop Randolph George recited the 23rd Psalm and said a prayer while his wife sang a beautiful rendition of 'rest in the Lord and wait patiently'. Also at the service were several dignitaries including Acting President Sam Hinds, Chancellor of the Judiciary Cecil Kennard, Speaker of the House and brother of the President, Derek Jagan, British High Commissioner David Johnson, Indian High Commissioner Narendra Kumar, Charge d'Affaires at the US Embassy High Simon and Ministers of the Government.
• Another service was held at Better Hope ECD, where a huge crowd gathered to pray for the President.
• Representative of Guyana's 3 major religions are appearing on private television stations (who have opened up their studios) throughout the nation offering prayers for the President recovery.
• Citizens were given the opportunity to offer prayers and read meditations on behalf of the President on live television call-in programs.

• The President's condition remains serious but stable. He is however responding to treatment.

• First Lady Janet Jagan who is with the President at the hospital reported that the Guyanese leader is in fine spirit. He is encouraged by the messages of support and solidarity which are being conveyed to him in overwhelming numbers from Guyana and around the world.
• Messages of support came in today from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and also from the Prime Minister of Canada, Jean Chretin. Other well-wishers today were the President of Venezuela and Prime Minister Patterson of Jamaica. The enormous amount of well wishers so far also include US President Bill Clinton, who personally spoke with Mrs. Jagan informing her that he was praying for the recovery of President Jagan.
• A major bright spot for the President since his hospitalization was a visit from his eldest grandchild Wednesday afternoon. The 13 year old Cheddi Jagan III, was allowed to see his grandfather who fondly held him, ruffling his hair and playing with him. The President was excited and emotional at seeing him.
• Meanwhile back home in Guyana, an impressive list of organizations are keeping hope alive for Dr. Jagan. The Guyana Trade Union Congress is calling on workers to pray constantly for Dr. Jagan's speedy recovery.
• The Guyana Council of Churches yesterday requested that the Christian community dedicates Sunday, February 23 as a day of prayer for the recovery and good health of President Jagan. In addition, the Hindu and Muslim communities have also began holding prayer sessions for Dr. Jagan's recovery.
• The President's Cabinet met for the third time this week to discuss a deferred item dealing with the privatization of the Guyana Electricity Corporation. In the absence of President Jagan, Prime Minister Samuel Hinds has been designated the Acting President.

• The latest report states that President Jagan is rallying against a reversal in his condition.
• First Lady Janet Jagan said that the Guyanese leader remains conscious and alert, and family members are communicating with him.
• The Government has also stated that contrary to a report in the Stabroek News (a daily independent Guyanese newspaper), the cardiac life support has NOT been removed from President Jagan whose condition remains serious.
• The 27th Anniversary of the Guyanese Republic is tomorrow. At midnight tonight a flag raising ceremony will be held at the National Park. Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, who is now the Acting President due to President Jagan's absence from the country, will deliver the Republic Day address to the nation.

• The President had a very restful day on this 27th Anniversary of the Republic. However, his condition still remains serious.
• Doctors at the hospital have expressed amazement at his continued resilience.
• Meanwhile in Guyana, Mashramani celebrations went on as normal.
• Acting President Sam Hinds in his Republic Day address recalled how Dr. Jagan had joked with him saying that he might not be back from the ongoing CARICOM conference in time and that Hinds will have to prepare to deliver the address.
• Hinds in his speech said of Dr . Jagan
  "He himself has been one of those most indefatigable, most unswerving, most resolute, most committed, most sacrificing, on that long road of struggle from the colonial past to the independent present. In himself, he embodies so much of that struggle, so much of our victory."
  "He had been in that battle for at least half a century; now he battles with a sudden challenge.
  "Our prayer is that the self-same Jagan spirit of toughness and resilience, fortitude and strength of character, that fighting spirit which has served Guyana so well for so long, will serve him well in this time of personal trial to overcome this enormous challenge.
  "We wish our President an early recovery to full health."
• Mrs. Janet Jagan in a tape recorded message to the nation sent Republic Day greetings from her husband, to the nation. She continued, "In these fifty years, President Jagan has devoted his whole life to the basic ideals of freedom, democracy, human liberty, unity and the struggle to eliminate poverty and suffering, not only in Guyana, but in the region, the hemisphere and the entire world. Mashramani greetings to one and all!"
• The Heads of Government at the Caribbean Community summit in Antigua and Barbuda, expressed their "deep concern over the illness" of President Jagan. They continued in a statement of best wishes for Dr. Jagan, "His absence was certainly felt by all."

• On this 27th Anniversary of the Republic, Guyana's President Dr. Cheddi Jagan has stabilized and is still fully conscious and alert.
• President Jagan had a restful night and continues to rally with the assistance of expert medical care at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC.
• The President was visited over the weekend by his two grandchildren living in Canada. They will return home this afternoon.

• President Jagan woke up this morning after a restful night. He is fully conscious and alert but is still in a serious condition.
• Dr. Jagan is receiving medical care 24 hours a day from doctors at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

• There has been improvement overnight in the condition of President Cheddi Jagan.
• Late yesterday afternoon, the balloon pump which was assisting the President's heart to work, was removed. His heart is now operating independently of the device.
• He is currently being weaned off the drugs used in the treatment process.
• President Jagan's condition still remains serious but he is now more comfortable.

• In an interview with the Guyana Chronicle, Guyana's Ambassador in Washington, Dr. Odeen Ishmael, recalled his bedside visit with President Jagan. Ishmael was the first person outside the immediate Jagan family granted permission to visit the President and he said he spent about 10 minutes with Dr. Jagan around noon yesterday (Feb 24).
• Mrs. Jagan was with the Guyana Ambassador on his bedside visit and she "talks to [Dr. Jagan] and he would nod his head", Ishmael said. He explained that the President is on a respirator and as a result cannot speak. "But he can nod 'Yes' or shake his head to say 'No' and you have to frame your questions to meet the occasion", he said.
• But for Ishmael, it was the fire in the eyes of the President that moved him yesterday.
  "It's those shining eyes that I have seen that strengthens my optimism. Those of us who have been associated with him for a very long time, know his eyes. We know when he is determined; and when he wants you to go and do something right away, you go and do it -- he doesn't have to tell you to do it . . . Those eyes are bright . . .".

• Guyana's Ambassador in Washington said that the Guyana Embassy in Washington and his residence were up to yesterday "bombarded" with rumors that Dr. Jagan, 78, had passed away and that the Embassy was "covering up" to aid a Guyana Government conspiracy.
• "Guyana is a total democracy now and there is no need to cover up", Ishmael argued.
  "Some people are still cloaked in the attitudes of conspiracies that gripped Guyana for so many years before [the October 1992 General Elections] brought a change to the country, and these traits are coming out at this time."

• The Guyana Government has blasted the independent daily Stabroek News for its "irresponsible coverage of the illness of President Cheddi Jagan".
• Apparently Stabroek News had disregarded the regular Government releases on the President's condition and had instead relied on an unidentified Washington source for their information. It turned out that most of the information they received from their source was highly inaccurate and contradicted Government reports.
• "President Jagan's illness is a matter of serious concern to the Nation, the region and the world. Our national media owe a duty to be factual in the interest of professionalism and the constitutional command of the right of the people to receive information", said the Guyana Government in a release today.
• First Lady Janet Jagan, in a press statement today also criticized the Stabroek News. "My family and I are constantly near to [President Jagan] and are given all information available. None of it matches the ridiculous reports in Stabroek News. It is my conclusion the the newspaper is either making up these tales or is being conned by a 'source'."

• After 48 hours President Jagan continuously continues to function without cardiac life support. His heart is functioning independently of this device which was removed late Monday afternoon.
• Dr. Jagan's respiration is mechanically being supported by a ventilator, but efforts to wean him off this device continues.
• The President's condition requires sedation, but this is applied intermittently and at intervals to facilitate rest.
• The Guyana Information Services (GIS) continues to maintain a 24-hour hotline telephone service (54255) to provide the public updates on the President.
• Meanwhile Guyana's Washington Ambassador Odeen Ishmael said that goodwill messages transmitted from Guyanese and non-Guyanese from around the world were clearly "lifting the President's spirits". Mrs Jagan reads most of these messages to him "and she tells him how people are sending their goodwill", Ishmael reported.
• According to Ishmael the Jagan family at the hospital has been overwhelmed with letters and flowers. "The flowers can't go into the room but in the area where Mrs. Jagan is, it is like if you walk into a horticultural show", Ishmael said to the Guyana Chronicle.
• In Guyana, the independent daily Stabroek News replied to Government criticism of its coverage of the President's health situation. In an editorial today Stabroek News said
  "What we have accused the Government of is non-disclosure of information. It is not that we cannot understand the motivation to withhold details on the President's condition; we have no doubts that it is not done with malice. We recognize among the other things prompting such reticence will be the need of a family to preserve a measure of privacy at a time of acute distress . . . . The problem is, the President of Guyana is not a private citizen . . . the right of the people to know the truth about the condition of a President whom they elected to office, must override the right to privacy of the immediate family."
• The editorial also criticized the GIS medical bulletins on the President situation saying that they "contain nothing of substance" and that they "recite like a mantra". Stabroek News furthermore called for more information to be released by GIS including the results of all medical tests being performed on the President.
• The Guyana Information Services (GIS) in a medical bulletin today apparently replied to the Stabroek News editorial by stating "The GIS continues to make full disclosure of information received and does so responsibly and in conformity with the broad principles of medical ethics relating to confidentiality of a patient's medical information, be that patient a prince or a pauper."
• Meanwhile the President's Cabinet continues to meet regularly. Yesterday, the items discusses included the privatization proposals for entities including Guyana National Printers and Guyana Pharmaceutical Corporation.

• President Jagan's condition remained stable overnight.
• Doctors treating the President at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington DC say they are satisfied with his progress.
• Dr. Jagan continues to depend on a respirator. However, contrary to some reports in the media, he is NOT sedated at all times.

• Doctors at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center have today reiterated their satisfaction with the progress in President Cheddi Jagan's condition.
• The President was resting today under light sedation as his heart continues to function independently of a cardiac life support device which was assisting his heart to work since he underwent a a"balloon" angioplasty operation on February 16.
• The President's Cardiologist said that the balloon procedure worked beyond expectations. She also stated that Dr. Jagan did not suffer a second heart attack during the angioplasty procedure, contrary to earlier media reports.
• Dr. Jagan's respiration is mechanically being supported by a ventilator, but efforts to wean him off this device continue. On a "trial and error" test last evening, the respirator was shut off for 45 minutes then re-activated.
• The President's condition is generally stable but remains serious. Tests are routinely being done as doctors monitor his progress round-the-clock.

• There has been no significant change in the condition of President Cheddi Jagan but doctors at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center say that the has made satisfactory progress.
• Last evening tests performed on the President revealed no adverse change in the functioning of his vital organs.
• President Jagan's respiration is still being artificially supported.

• First Lady Janet Jagan reported this afternoon that President Cheddi Jagan is being fed nutritious foods through a tube directly into his stomach.
• The President was also moved today to a ultra-modern deluxe bed which provides him more comfort.
• The President's condition remains serious but doctors at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center say that he continues to make satisfactory progress.
• According to a GIS release First Lady Janet Jagan expresses thanks to the Guyanese people for their concern for the President and repeated that the family is deeply appreciative of this.

• Doctors at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center are continuing attempts to wean Dr. Jagan from the artificial respirator.
• However, they are at the moment experiencing complications in maintaining the President's normal lung functions.
• Dr. Jagan remains in a very serious condition.

• Guyana's Ambassador in Washington Dr. Odeen Ishmael, who has just returned from a visit to Dr. Jagan's bedside, reported to this page that the President remains in an extremely critical condition.
• He also said that the President's heart and lung functions continue to deteriorate.
• Questioned on how the First Lady is holding up, Ishmael replied that Mrs. Jagan is demonstrating "remarkable courage in the face of this adversity and is displaying what a great leader of the Guyanese people she is".
• Ishmael emotionally summed up Dr. Jagan's worsening condition with the words "The flame that led the struggle for freedom and democracy in Guyana is now flickering".

• The condition of President Cheddi Jagan has taken a turn for the worse.
• He is now in an extremely critical state.
• Dr. Jagan's doctors at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington DC reported this morning that they have been encountering greater instability in his lung functions.
• Additionally the President's heart functions have also deteriorated.

• President Jagan remains in an extremely critical condition.
• Doctors at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington DC continue to give the President round-the-clock care.
• However, Dr. Jagan's blood pressure continues to fluctuate dangerously and he is currently under heavy sedation.
• In addition the President's doctors had been encountering problems with water gathering in his lungs.
• Ambassador Ishmael in Washington told the Guyana Chronicle yesterday, "We are hanging on and waiting to see how this will turn out, but [President Jagan] is still very, very critical . . . "
  The Ambassador also said that Dr. Jagan was still on the artificial respirator but that the cardiac support had not been reconnected even though his heart function had deteriorated.

• President Jagan's medical crisis continues to worsen.
• In regard to the President's condition Guyana's Washington Ambassador this evening said to this page (GN&I), "It appears that we are facing the inevitable".
• The President's immediate family continues their stay at the hospital.
• This evening, President Jagan's son Cheddi Jagan Jr., arrived in Washington from Guyana. He had previously returned to Georgetown last week when it appeared that the President was on the road to recovery.

• The condition of President Cheddi Jagan remains extremely critical.
• Nevertheless, there has been no letting up of round-the-clock attention by the teams of doctors at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
• Today the doctors have started to reduce the President's level of sedation as Dr. Jagan is holding his own in a continuing heroic battle since his condition worsened over the weekend.
• Dr. Jagan's doctors continue to express their amazement at the fight the President is putting up against his life threatening condition.
• Meanwhile back in Guyana, the Minority parties in Parliament continue to be briefed by the Government on the President's situation.
• Also, the Minority People's National Congress (PNC) wrote Acting President Sam Hinds last week asking for a full report on the President's condition from the hospital.
• A Government spokesman told the Guyana Chronicle that the Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr. Roger Luncheon, replied to the PNC's letter saying that the Government was in favor of consultations but noting that the Minority PNC had not attended the briefing on Saturday while all other Minority parties did make a showing.
• The business of the Guyana Government continued as usual, despite the worsening condition of the President. In a lengthy Cabinet session yesterday the billion-dollar gold scam case came under review. Also under discussion was the return to China of the Chinese 'boat people'.

• GEORGETOWN Guyana, March 6 (Reuter) - Guyana's president, Cheddi Jagan, 78, died of apparent heart problems early on Thursday at a Washington hospital after a three-week illness, Guyana's ambassador in Washington, Odeen Ishmael said.

  "The president is dead. The flame has now gone out," Ishmael told Reuters in a brief telephone interview.
  1.59 a.m. (Guyana Time)

• Statement by Ambassador Odeen Ishmael on the death of President Cheddi Jagan.

  It is my sad duty to announce that His Excellency President Cheddi Jagan died at 12.23 a.m. (EST) on Thursday March 6, 1997 at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington DC. President Jagan was 78 years old.

  Guyana is all the poorer with the passing of this great Guyanese leader. But the Guyanese people are nevertheless enriched with his legacy of struggle for freedom, democracy and social justice — a struggle for which he dedicated his entire life.

  March 6, 1997