Palace allays fears over Duterte’s health condition

“It’s nothing serious,” Ernesto Abella, the president’s spokesman said on Tuesday after President Duterte on Monday admitted during a forum that a medical condition concerning his spine had been troubling him.

The president said the pain he had been experiencing was the reason why he appeared to be always in a melancholic mood these past few days.

“I had a bad sleep … I have a lot of issues with my spine. My doctor would want to operate (on me) but you know, since a lot of operations on the spine went wrong (I refused to undergo surgery),” he said while pointing out that this was what his wife, former US nurse Honeylet Avecena, told him.

“So that if you guys see me always with a sad mood, and with arms akimbo, I am actually pushing a nerve (on my side) to relieve the pain. I cannot afford the operation, it’s not because I do not have the money. It’s because my wife said that when — nerve is cut, you are dead,” he said.

Duterte was speaking during the Walace Business Forum on Monday at the presidential palace, Malacanan.

He said he used to take medication, Fentanyl, which is administered through a patch, but said he cannot take too much because it would impair his cognitive ability.

“It’s a painkiller. It’s (also) being used by patients with cancer. I was only given a fourth of that square thing,” he said.

During his campaign for the presidency, it had been rumoured that Duterte was suffering from cancer.

During the presidential campaign, reports surfaced questioning Duterte’s fitness to run for the presidency amid doubts over his health.

But the then Davao City mayor repeatedly challenged detractors that he was physically qualified for the task as chief executive of the republic.

“I might as well tell you about my medical history. What I have is really Buerger’s disease. It’s an acquired thing that you get from smoking because of nicotine. Nicotine constricts the vessel. Alcohol dilates the vessel,” he said.

Duterte also assured businessmen that his administration will honour contractual obligations, fight corruption and red tape, and allow businesses to flourish under a free market environment.

During the forum, Duterte addressed various concerns of investors in the country particularly speaking on his economic policies and agenda. 

“Forget your fears. This is a democracy. We follow the free enterprise. There would be changes, there would be changes for the better, not to kill businesses,” he said.

source: GULF NEWS