The Pentagon announced Tuesday that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was hospitalized last December for prostate cancer.
Ministry spokesman General Patrick Ryder said Austin underwent medical surgery to treat prostate cancer on the 22nd of last month and was admitted to hospital on the first of this month after complications following the medical procedure.
Ryder added that Minister Austin’s release date from hospital has not yet been determined.
The US Secretary of Defense had left the intensive care unit on Monday, but was still under supervision at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland, according to the Washington Post.
US administration officials said Austin, 70, was taken to hospital by ambulance on January 1, while suffering from “severe pain” with undisclosed complications from a medical procedure performed on December 22, which included a overnight stay in hospital. . .
Hiding Austin’s health status for days constituted a violation of the protocol adopted in similar cases, especially at a time when Washington is facing several military crises, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the war in Gaza Strip between its ally Israel and the Hamas movement.
On Saturday, Austin acknowledged in a statement that he could “do better to ensure Americans were adequately informed,” adding: “I am committed to doing better” than that.
The Pentagon said in a statement Monday evening that it is unclear when the secretary will be released from the hospital, but officials plan to provide daily updates as long as Austin remains at Walter Reed.
The spokesman for the US Department of Defense, Patrick Ryder, said that Austin “still feels uncomfortable, but his prognosis is good”, adding that the minister is “in good condition” and that he is “recovering well and well”. humor”.
2024-01-09 19:40:50
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