Communications specialist and former journalist, Keisha David, died shortly after collapsing at her Curepe home yesterday morning. David, 29, was employed at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Communications. Shortly after placing her garbage outside, David told her neighbour she could not breathe. She then collapsed and was later rushed to the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex by ambulance. She died minutes later at the hospital.
David had taken a few days sick leave this week.
She was a producer and reporter at CCN TV6 from 2007 to 2010, when she started working at the Office of the Prime Minister as a communications officer. Last year, she was transferred to the Foreign Affairs and Communications Ministry as a communications specialist, where she worked until her death. Foreign Affairs and Communications Minister Dr Surujrattan Rambachan spoke highly of her in a statement from Suriname, where he is attending a Caricom Inter-sesssional Heads of Government Meeting with Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar. Rambachan said David was "an excellent professional who made value-added contributions to the work of my ministry."
Rambachan said David "was very willing and extremely co-operative." Rambachan added: "The death of one so young is a loss, not only to the profession, but to the human resource capacity of our country." Chief executive officer at Government Information Services Limited (GISL), Andy Johnson, who chaired the Post-Cabinet meeting news conference at the Prime Minister's Office, St Clair, extended condolences to the relatives of David. "We will mourn her passing," he added. David was one of the producers of the Morning Edition when Johnson was the host, more than two years ago. A post-mortem is to be done today.