Nauru remanded MP has heart attack

Transcript

A Nauru opposition MP Sprent Dabwido who has been in custody on Nauru following protests is in hospital after suffering a heart attack.

Christine Jeremiah's husband Squire Jeremiah is in remand with Mr Dabwido and she says the former President was taken to hospital with breathing problems during the night and then again when she went to visit on Wednesday morning.

The two opposition MPs have been in Nauru's prison for nearly  a month as they await court proceedings after anti-government protests on the island.

Mrs Jeremiah told Sally Round a medical incident wasn't unexpected as Mr Dabwido was taking medication for a health complaint.

CHRISTINE JEREMIAH: I saw him leaving the prison ward at about 11:40am with the doctor. They confirmed today that he had a minor heart attack.

SALLY ROUND: Do you know if he's had these sort of problems before?

CJ: He's got a heart condition but I don't know how serious it is but he's got some other health issues as well. I believe this is not new, he's a bit sick so I think they were expecting something like this.

SR: And has he been on medication while he's been on remand there?

CJ: Yeah he has, he's got some medication given to him, delivered into the prison to him by the sister but I don't know what sort of medication.

SR: Obviously your husband has been with him on remand, are they together usually?

CJ: They're in the same cell.

SR: And what are the conditions like because you say you've been visiting them?

CJ: Family members are only allowed to visit every Wednesday, given one hour, there's a visiting area that we're only allowed to visit them at and that's it. We don't go to the cells.

SR: Were you aware that they were distressed by the conditions at all, were you aware of anything at all that may have led to this heart condition?

CJ: No, as I said because I only visit them once.

SR: Are you concerned for your own husband Squire Jeremiah?

CJ: Well, for health issues, I think he'll be ok but I know he'll be a bit worried about his colleague. For us we've got our own small business, and he might be concerned about that and his small family.

SR: And you've been without your husband for nearly a month now.

CJ: Three weeks.

SR: And how are you faring, how are you coping, how many children have you got?

CJ: We've got two boys aged from three and five and I've been trying to cope. Luckily my parents and sisters have been helping with baby-sitting my kids while I'm going around trying to cope, especially with myself trying to survive with the business I have currently. It's been hard but I've been trying my best.

SR: What about financially?

CJ: Financially, after he was suspended he hasn't had any wages, that'll be one year now so we've got some general goods and hardware goods we've been selling. That's how I'm surviving and I'm trying to rent out our shop but it's a bit hard now because I think the Chinese are even afraid to rent the shop because they might get politically involved or something.

SR: So you're feeling there's some comeback on you, on your connection with the opposition MPs?

CJ: That's what I'm thinking because just before they were arrested, I bought some fuel from the government utility and they never delivered it until I came by and asked if they could deliver it that day and they told me I had been blacklisted for no reason. So I went to see the president himself but he wasn't on the island. His secretary told me that I should write a letter to him to ask him why I'd been blacklisted, and I said, 'can't you just tell me why I've been blacklisted' and he said 'no, I don't know on what grounds you've been blacklisted', so everything to me is politics.