Doctors satisfied with Mandela’s treatment

（Xinhua News Agency) December 20, 2012 09:10

Cape Town, December 18 (Xinhua) — South African President Jacob Zuma said on the 18th that doctors are satisfied with the progress of former President Nelson Madeira’s treatment.

“They (doctors) said the condition was not critical at this point, but they also said they would not rush to send the patient home until they were sure he had made sufficient progress,” Zuma said.

Mandela has been hospitalized since December 8 for a lung infection and gallstones. Doctors treated his lung infection and performed a successful gallstone removal surgery last week. He remains in a Pretoria hospital and is recovering, according to the presidency.

“If he remains in hospital for a few more days, it is because the hospital is providing the necessary care. We wish his family strength during this time. They have the love and support of the whole nation,” Zuma said.

Zuma once again called on the public to continue to support Mandela, while saying that the public should understand that Mandela is 94 years old and needs special care.

Mr. Maharaj, the presidential spokesman, also visited Mr. Mandela on Tuesday. Mr. Maharaj said: “He looks much better.”

Mandela’s health has been a focus of attention, with this being his longest hospital stay since he underwent seven weeks of radiation treatment after being diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2001.

In January 2011, Mandela was briefly hospitalized in a Johannesburg hospital with an acute respiratory infection. In February of this year, he stayed overnight in the hospital and underwent a minor diagnostic surgery to determine the cause of his abdominal discomfort.

Mandela, who was imprisoned for 27 years during apartheid, was elected the country’s first black president in 1994.