Kartel’s low heart beat means surgery is likely

Dancehall star Vybz Kartel was controversially released from a Jamaican prison after 13 years last week but even though he has his liberty medics are worried that his physical health has suffered through his incarceration.

Dr Karen Phillips, the physician who warned that 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 entertainer now that he is free.

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.

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 a year earlier, which puts him at greater risk for a heart attack.

When Kartel walked from the Tower Street Adult Correctional Centre, fans were alarmed by the swollen look of his face, which is often associated with Graves’ disease.