( Jamaica Star ) Dr Karen Phillips, the physician who warned that Vybz Kartel could die if he does not have surgery to correct problems brought on by Graves’ disease, has said that “medical management” is critical for the famed entertainer now that he has been released from prison.The health of the entertainer, whose given name is Adidja Palmer, was among the factors considered by the Court of Appeal when it ordered that he and his co-appellants would not be retried for the murder of Clive ‘Lizard’ Williams.
“We looked at the medical problems relating to the appellant Palmer, which came through medical report… which speaks to declining health in the penal institution,” president of the Court of Appeal, Justice Marva McDonald-Bishop, said in handing down the ruling on Wednesday.
The ruling means that Kartel, Shawn ‘Shawn Storm’ Campbell and Andre St John were released from custody. The fourth co-defendant, Kahira Jones, though freed of Lizard’s murder, remained in custody as he is serving an 18-year sentence.
In her medical report to the court dated May 2, 2024, Phillips said that Kartel’s heart was operating below capacity. It was stated that Kartel had “lost 20 per cent of his heart’s function” from the capacity it was at this time last year [2023], and that puts him at greater risk for a heart attack.
When Kartel walked from the Tower Street Adult Correctional Centre, fans began commenting on his noticeable physical changes, particularly the swollen look of his face, which is often associated with Graves’ disease.
Phillips, asked by THE WEEKEND STAR to comment on the entertainer’s health, was guarded.In May, FOX 5 NY reported on an interview its reporter, Lisa Evers had with Kartel’s attorney, Isat Buchanan, giving details of the impact of the disease on the entertainer’s body.
“His neck was swollen, if you think of a shirt that is about 18.5 inches in the neck area, you couldn’t close the collar on his neck and that’s how bad it is in this moment,” Buchanan said.
“His face is actually swollen. And one other thing. He always wears glasses; in this condition, that causes his eyes to protrude.”
Meanwhile, when asked about the artiste’s chances of recovery, Phillips said: “He will need medical management, cardiology evaluation with further treatment as necessary based on that. He will also need management and definitive treatment for his Graves’ disease.”
Medical management involves the direct oversight and care of a patient’s medical condition to treat disease, injury, or disorder.
Fans have been anticipating a ‘comeback show’, but Phillips declined to directly comment on the artiste potentially resuming his music career.
“I would say it depends on his further management henceforth, and as long as he seeks the necessary treatment, you can see how he recovers,” she said.
