President Zeman stayed in Prague’s Central Military Hospital for one night for a planned check-up. Photo Credit: Hrad.cz
Prague, Aug. 19 (CTK) – Czech President Milos Zeman was discharged from Prague’s Central Military Hospital (UVN) shortly after 10am today, after an overnight stay for a planned check-up of his feeding tube. He has now left for his presidential residence in Lany just outside of Prague, his spokesman Jiri Ovcacek told CTK.
All medical tests the president underwent in hospital returned satisfactory results, Ovcacek said, adding that Zeman has a working program next week.
Zeman left the hospital’s B pavilion on a wheelchair, before getting into a car outside the building with the help of his security guards, said a CTK reporter at the scene.
Zeman was admitted to hospital on Thursday afternoon. Vratislav Mynar, head of the Presidential Office, told CTK that the visit to UVN was for a planned check of his feeding tube, and that he would be discharged afterwards.
The removal of the tube, which doctors inserted into Zeman’s stomach after his health problems last autumn to reduce the risk of malnutrition, will not be considered until the end of the year at the earliest, Mynar added.
Last autumn, Zeman spent 48 days at UVN, in the intensive care unit. Doubts emerged at the time over the president’s capacity to carry out his work duties.
The current hospitalisation was brief, and Zeman has a working program next week, according to his office.
“I can only state that the president’s holiday ends this week, and numerous activities are scheduled for next week, including meetings with ambassadors, the prime minister, and a visit to the Zeme zivitelka agro farm festival [in Ceske Budejovice],” said Ovcacek on Thursday.
Zeman said in July, citing information from his doctor and UVN director Miroslav Zavoral, that after his latest blood sample examination, 48 out of the 50 indicators of his health condition were perfect, and two were negative due to a high blood sugar level .
During Zeman’s hospitalisation last autumn, some senators and deputies began discussing whether to temporarily transfer some of Zeman’s presidential powers onto the heads of the government and the lower house of parliament based on Article 66 of the Czech constitution.
The Presidential Office rejected the idea, which was in the end not put into effect as Zeman’s health condition improved.
Zeman described the effort to transfer his powers to other officials as an attempted coup. In late June, he asked Justice Minister Pavel Blazek to look into the affair on suspicion of “sabotage.” The High Public Prosecutor’s Office stated in early July that Zeman’s suspicion was unsubstantiated.
