The Pentagon announced on Tuesday that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was hospitalized last December with prostate cancer.
Ministry spokesman General Patrick Ryder said that Austin underwent a medical procedure to treat prostate cancer on the 22nd of last month and was admitted to the hospital on the 1st of this month after complications following the medical procedure.
Ryder added that Minister Austin’s release date from the 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 what the newspaper reported.Washington Post“.
US administration officials said that Austin, 70, was taken to the hospital by ambulance on January 1, while he was suffering from “severe pain” with undisclosed complications due to a medical procedure performed on December 22, which included an overnight stay in the hospital. .
Concealing 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 crises of a military nature, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the war in the Gaza Strip between its ally, Israel, and the Hamas movement.
On Saturday, Austin acknowledged in a statement that he could have “acted better to ensure Americans were properly informed,” adding: “I pledge to do better” than that.
The Pentagon said in a statement Monday night that it remains unclear when the secretary will be released from the hospital, but officials intend to provide daily updates as long as Austin remains at Walter Reed.
US Department of Defense spokesman 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 in good spirits.”
2024-01-09 19:40:50
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