Hunger striker Dr Wayne Kublalsingh fell unconscious for about 30 minutes yesterday morning. Up to press time, Kublalsingh, leader of the Highway Re-route Movement (HRM), was hospitalised at the St Clair medical centre, mere metres from the site of his 27-day protest, opposite the prime minister’s office on St Clair Avenue.
It remained unclear whether he would join his supporters at the camp site today, as his personal physician Dr Asante Van West‐Charles‐Le Blanc advised that he remain warded for 24 hours, after which his condition would be re-assessed. An unconscious Kublalsingh was admitted around 10 am and had to be revived by the staff of the centre’s accident and emergency department.
Van West-Charles-Le Blanc told reporters Kublalsingh passed out while on his way to Maracas Beach in an air-conditioned car. A combination of dehydration and heat led him to lose consciousness, she said. Kublalsingh was accustomed to taking salt-water soaks on the weekend to rehydrate his body, she said.
Van West-Charles-Le Blanc said Kublalsingh was administered fluids and vitamins intravenously, after being brought to the facility in the private vehicle. The doctor estimated that Kublalsingh was unconscious for half an hour. “He regained consciousness with the IV in his hand and accepted it be left there for now. At present time, he’s alert and he’s oriented. We’ve done some blood tests and the results are within normal limits and he’s going to stay here overnight. He’s going to continue to be hydrated.”
“He’s just going to rest here overnight,” Van West-Charles-Le Blanc said. “At this present time, he’s still critical but he’s stable.” She said Kublalsingh would continue to receive drips for the rest of the day. “This time he was lucky,” she said, “he lost consciousness but regained it.” Kublalsingh began the second hunger strike with a weight of 124 pounds, and Van West-Charles-Le Blanc estimates that he is “now down to 90 pounds.”
“The end result of this hunger strike, if there is no intervention, is death,” she said. “We don’t know how long, what time frame or time limit we have, that is uncertain. But right now, that is the end result if nothing is done.”
Asked if she had once again assumed charge of Kublalsingh’s medical care, Van West-Charles-Le Blanc said, “As I said before, I took a step back. I said I would be available in case of an emergency and this was an emergency so I have been called upon. He’s still not listening to me and not taking my medical advice. I am giving this some time and let’s see what the 24 hours brings, and after that, I will let you know what is going on.”
Stating that she was honouring her professional and moral responsibilities, Van West-Charles-Le Blanc said Kublalsingh had agreed to her recommendation to remain hospitalised for 24 hours.