Franklyn

MEMBERS OF the Government yesterday brushed aside speculations about the health of Prime Minister P.J. Patterson and gave the assurance that he was still willing to release his medical records to end public concerns.

"I can state without any equivocation, that that willingness still stands," said Delano Franklyn, chief adviser to the Prime Minister. He added, however, that it was the prerogative of the Prime Minister to decide the timetable for the release of the records.

Earlier this month, Mr. Patterson said he was willing to make public, all his medical records in order to end speculation about his health. The promise came a day after he exhibited signs of discomfort at the official opening of the Rex Nettleford Hall of residence on the Mona Campus of the University of the West Indies (UWI).

He told editors and senior reporters at a Gleaner's Editors' Forum that his doctors had given him a clean bill of health following a thorough examination in New York after a fainting spell in Portmore, St. Catherine, last year.

Yesterday, talk of the Prime Minister's fitness dominated some radio discussion programmes, with suggestions that his health was failing.

Mr. Franklyn, however, dismissed claims that the Prime Minister fell ill during a mass rally in Half-Way Tree Sunday night. He also dismissed talk that an ambulance and a team of doctors accompanied the Prime Minister to the rally.

"There was no ambulance in relationship to the Prime Minister of Jamaica," Mr. Franklyn said.

Information Minister, Colin Camp-bell, admitted that an ambulance was at Sunday night's meeting, but said that this had no relationship to the state of the Prime Minister's health.

"When a Prime Minister is going to announce an election there is heightened security, heightened medical attention," he said. "Somebody can shoot him; so there is extra precaution taken."

Mr. Campbell said following Mr. Patterson's fainting in Portmore, the protocol for handling the Prime Minister was revised. As part of the protocol, he said, there is an emergency medical team that accompanies the Prime Minister at big meetings such as the one that took place in Half-Way Tree.

"They (medical team) have been there for months. I couldn't tell when I've seen a big meeting that they haven't been there," he said.

Mr. Colin also dismissed suggestions that the Prime Minister experienced any discomfort on Sunday night.

Shortly after his arrival, the Prime Minister was ushered to the back of the podium where a fan was trained on him. General Secretary of the PNP, Maxine Henry-Wilson, said the decision was taken to place the Prime Minister at the back of the podium because it was awkward to have him seated to the front while candidates were being presented.

She also noted that the heat from the lighting on the stage dictated that the fan be placed on the Prime Minister to keep him cool.

The Prime Minister's handlers have in recent times ensured that a fan is nearby when he has speaking engagements.