Ministers keep fit

Public Administration Minister Marlene Mc Donald, who was again hospitalised on Saturday, is reportedly resting at home after being discharged from the St Clair Medical Centre, on Tuesday.

Mc Donald was quoted yesterday in a newspaper article as confirming she had pneumonia and that bacteria in her system had begun to attack one of her kidneys, which required that she receive dialysis treatment.

The Port-of-Spain South MP is expected to return to work on Friday

Less than one month ago, Mc Donald was treated at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital after complaining of feeling unwell after a Cabinet meeting on June 14.

On that occasion, it was discovered the minister’s blood sugar level had dropped but her condition was not life-threatening.

Still, Mc Donald’s health and that of her colleagues Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley and La Horquetta/Talparo MP Maxie Cuffie, both of whom are experiencing medical challenges, have raised serious concerns about the need for ministers and parliamentarians, generally, to take stock of their health, given the demands of the job.

And while the issue of office holders falling ill in service is not a new phenomenon, Sunday Newsday learnt that several ministers and MPs are already taking responsibility for their health through diet and exercise.

Saying he has always been health conscious, Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh said since becoming a minister in September 2015, he has made more time for exercise and relaxation.

Deyalsingh said he exercises five days a week through walking, weight-training, aerobics, stretching and other activities.

“That is my personal plan because being a minister is not easy,” he said.

Deyalsingh said he began taking greater stock of his condition when his father got a stroke, years ago.

“I was 40 when my father got his stroke and I remember when I took my father back to his doctor, he (doctor) looked at me and said, ‘Young Deyalsingh, your father is diabetic, your mother is diabetic. You are East-Indian and you are approaching middle-aged. You are a poster boy for diabetes and cardiac arrest. So take care of yourself.”

Deyalsingh added: “So although before 40, I was health conscious, I became even moreso after age 40.”

The St Joseph MP after his father’s stroke, he immediately cut out sweets and sugar from his diet “although I will indulge every now and again.”

Agriculture Minister Clarence Rambharat also combines brisk walking with sporting activities (cricket and football) and work-outs at the gym.

“I am an outdoor person by nature and I am heavily involved in sport. I have a routine of walking two hours a day on mornings or afternoons around the Queen’s Park Savannah (QPS) or at Lady Chancellor Hill, St Ann’s.”

However, Rambharat said making time for exercise can be very challenging.

“During the Parliament break (July-August), I would go to the gym two or three times a week. But from April to July, the hours in the Parliament are longer where you are sitting for long hours and it is really difficult to keep your self fit. So, you start feeling the pounds coming on and the discomfort.”

He added: “In my case, I get back on track quite easily because I try, as far as possible, to keep fit and eat the right things.

“I am no fancy eater. But it is a challenge. A lot of people don’t realise how many hours you are sitting.”

Rambharat said a lot of preparation goes into Cabinet and parliamentary sessions.

“I am up between two and three o’clock every morning and that is when I do a lot of research and heavy work. Then I go out about 5.30 and 6 am and walk.

“Then most of the meetings are between 9 am and 10 am. So, it is not easy. You have some really low points and you really feel tired but you have no choice.”

San Juan/Barataria MP Dr Fuad Khan agreed, saying parliamentarians must take charge of their health.

The former health minister said during his time in office, he had established an executive medical plan for parliamentarians whereby they could have received free, annual check-ups. He presumed it was still in existence.

“But outside of that, everybody still must watch their blood pressure and sugar levels and what they are eating,” Khan said.

Saying he runs around the QPS and works out at the gym about six times a week, Khan said he also does karate to stay in shape.

He said he encourages his colleagues to take care of themselves.

Cumuto/Manzanilla MP Christine Newallo-Hosein, on the mend after breaking one of her legs last year, said she has changed her diet to compensate for the lack of exercise.

She said her diet now includes very little flour, meat and sugar.

“When I am cooking, I do more fish and I don’t use white rice. I do not use soft drinks and juices. I might take a sip once every six months.”

Regarding exercise, Newallo-Hosein said she has a treadmill in her living room which she uses when watching television.

She also does some light exercises so as not to exacerbate a nagging back problem.

Newallo-Hosein said she would get much exercise when she resumes her walkabouts in the large constituency.

Caroni East MP Dr Tim Gopeesingh, too, has had some physical setbacks.

However, he said apart from “knee problems” he sustained during his years as a fast bowler for the TT cricket team, he was in relatively good health.

Gopeesingh said outside of going to the gym about four times a week, he also walked regularly and played golf with a group of friends on Thursdays.

Like Khan, Gopeesingh said he also encourages his colleagues to take care of themselves.

“It is important for us to do what is best for our health. I have always emphasised that you can be in politics for as long as you want but health is most important in everybody’s lives.

“It is better to prevent certain illness rather than dealing with it later on.”

PARLIAMENTARIANS WITH MEDICAL CONDITIONS

1) Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley revealed at the post-Cabinet news conference he had an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) done on his lower back to determine the cause of recent back pains.

Rowley has said he was tested for prostate cancer at a hospital in California, US, in 2016.

2) La Horquetta/Talparo MP Maxie Cuffie suffered a stroke, last September, and recently underwent surgery in the US. He is said to be still receiving therapy.

3) In October 2011, it was revealed that former prime minister and Siparia MP Kamla Persad-Bissessar suffered from diabetes, hypertension and exhaustion.

4) Energy Minister Franklin Khan underwent surgery in 2017 for a major heart-related defect.