Sudan’s Bashir appears on TV following knee surgery

May 12, 2014 (KHARTOUM) – Sudanese president Omer Hassan al-Bashir has received his vice-president Bakri Hassan Saleh at the Royal Care hospital in Khartoum after undergoing knee surgery on Sunday.

Bashir was shown inside his hospital room sitting across from Saleh wearing the traditional Sudanese white thobe and a head covering. He appeared with a bandage on his left hand.

Sudan official news agency (SUNA) said that other senior officials visited Bashir in the prestigious hospital which was placed under heavy security.

Bashir also received phone calls from the Emir of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and his Prime Minister Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, head of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) Mohamed Osman Mirghani and the leader of the National Umma Party (NUP) al-Sadiq al-Mahdi inquiring about his health after surgery, SUNA reported.

Dr. Sharaf al-Din al-Juzooli, a joint replacement and orthopedic consultant at Royal Care, said in press statements that the operation was successful and performed with full medical supervision of Sudanese doctors, technicians and technologists.

Al-Juzooli added that Bashir is in good health and recovering well.

He went on to say that Bashir’s decision to have the surgery in Sudan demonstrates his great confidence in the abilities of Sudanese medical professionals and encourages localization of medical treatment inside the country as opposed to seeking it abroad.

Dr. Tariq Mohammed Hassan Abdel-Jalil, a Sudanese physician residing in Saudi Arabia who participated in the operation, said the process has been easy and natural.
For his part, the president’s brother Dr. Abdullah said the fact that al-Bashir had the at the hands of Sudanese doctors, anesthetists and technicians in a Sudanese hospital is of great significance and an indication of the president’s confidence and the big development that has occurred in the country’s health sector and a message to all the people of Sudan to seek treatment at home.

The 70-year-old president underwent throat surgery in Qatar more than a year-and-a-half ago and another one few months afterwards in Saudi Arabia.

A year ago, he secretly flew again to Saudi Arabia again for a medical checkup, according to a presidential source at the time.

Abdullah later admitted that his younger sibling was suffering from a tumor in his throat but insisted that medical tests proved that the swelling is benign.

The president was reportedly advised at the time by doctors to cut his public appearances and speeches.

(ST)