Winston Murray declared ‘brain dead’

Nov 15, 2010 News

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…no surgical intervention could be done at this time – Dr Crandon

Shadow Finance Minister, Winston Murray, was declared brain dead by Neurosurgeon Dr Ivor Crandon who arrived early yesterday morning in Guyana from Jamaica on a specially chartered flight to treat him.
The government paid the US$30,000 to have Dr Crandon flown to Guyana and upon arrival he immediately went to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation where he conducted an evaluation of Murray’s health crisis.

Dr Crandon who is the Head of Surgery University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica arrived in Guyana at approximately 08:00 hrs yesterday and subsequently met with local doctors who were monitoring Murray’s condition.
Following Dr Crandon’s evaluation of Murray he concluded that there was no evidence of brain function and based upon this situation coupled with the fact that Murray had an unstable cardio-vascular state and blood chemistry, he advised that surgical intervention should not be attempted.
The family members are currently contemplating the next step as he is still on life support machines.
This newspaper has learnt that the family is awaiting the arrival of his eldest son who resides in England and at that time a decision would be made as to whether they would remove the life support machines.
Leader of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), Robert Corbin, in a statement to the media shortly after noon yesterday, said that the party wishes to advise that Murray remains in a critical condition at the Intensive Care Unit of the Georgetown Hospital.
“After an evaluation conducted by Neurosurgeon, Professor Ivor Crandon, this (yesterday) morning, it was determined that no surgical intervention could be done at this time because of the state of his vital signs including, no responses from his brain…In these circumstances Mr. Murray remains on life support at the Georgetown (Public) Hospital.”
He said that Murray’s wife and family have been fully briefed by the doctors on his present condition and future action will depend on their decisions.
Murray has been unconscious and hospitalised ever since last Thursday evening.
Ever since the incident, Dr Crandon has been assisting the local medical team via telephone and he is expected to conduct the surgery on Murray.
Murray was rushed to Balwant Singh Hospital in Georgetown after he collapsed on his way to his Continental Park, East Bank Demerara home following Thursday’s Parliamentary debate in which he participated.
He was in an unconscious condition when he arrived at the hospital, and a scan showed that there was cranial bleeding.
Murray was heading home when he stopped at Houston to buy a lotto ticket, according to his colleague and supporter, Ronald Austin.
Austin said that after he collapsed he had the presence of mind to give someone phone numbers and the keys to his car.
He also gave instructions that he be taken to Balwant Singh Hospital.
However, later in the evening, he was transferred to the GPHC where he was immediately placed in the Intensive Care Unit.
Murray recently announced that he would be vying for the position of Presidential Candidate for the PNCR and had already commenced several community outreaches.
In January of last year, following differences with the party on their position on the Economic Partnership Agreement with the European Union, Murray resigned as party Chairman and subsequently challenged Corbin for the leadership of the party.
He was unsuccessful in that bid which some called a massively rigged election for party leadership during their biennial congress.
A Parliamentarian since 1985 Winston Shripal Murray attended the London School of Economics, London University BSC (Hons) Econs in 1970; he also attended the Institute of International Monetary Fund in Washington, DC where he obtained a Certificate in Public Finance, in 1975; he also attended the University of Guyana where he graduated with Credit in LLB in 1996 thence to the Hugh Wooding Law School in Trinidad and Tobago where he obtained his Legal Education Certificate in 2000.

From 1970 to 1972 he served as an economist in the Ministry of Trade. The following two years he held the position of Second Secretary, Guyana Embassy, Brussels, Belgium.
Between the years 1974 and 1979 Murray was a Senior Economist/Deputy Secretary to the Treasury in the Ministry of Finance. Murray was also the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Trade and Industry between the years 1979 and 1983.
Commencing in 1983 for one year he served as Head of the Department of International Economic Co-operation at Office of the President, Guyana.
Murray was also Guyana’s Head of the Presidential Secretariat in 1985 and from that time to when the PNCR lost office Murray served as Senior Minister/Deputy Prime Minister – Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Industry.
Murray has over the years had many accomplishments as a negotiator including: Barter deal exchanging bauxite for TU 154 aircraft with USSR, Agreements with Japan for electricity generating facilities on the West Bank of Demerara and Garden of Eden, Acquisition of Universal tractors from Romania, Investment Promotion and Protection Treaty with Korea, Double taxation agreement with Canada.
He also served as Guyana’s principal spokesman and negotiator on CARICOM affairs, negotiated the Common External Tariff for such critical items as rice, sugar, wood and wood products as well as handled the harmonisation of fiscal incentives and industrial planning within CARICOM.
In the Trade Ministry, Murray was responsible for devising and overseeing a system for determining the foreign exchange requirements for importers, on the basis of which import licences were granted.
He also served as liaison officer for trade and economic missions to Guyana.
In the case of the People’s Republic of China, Murray prepared the report for Cabinet on an economic mission from that country and identified the specific projects, which Guyana should pursue for economic cooperation. Cabinet adopted that report in its entirety.
He was also seconded to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1971 and 1972 to serve on the Guyana delegation to the United Nations, New York and served on the Fifth Committee of the U.N. and articulated Guyana’s position on the U.N. budget as well as on proposals for reorganisation of some departments.
Murray also served as Guyana’s Alternate Governor to the IMF, IBRD, IDB and CDB.
He performed functions of President of Guyana on two separate occasions. He was awarded Guyana’s Cacique’s Crown of Honour (CCH) in 1984.

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