Doctors say Tsvangirai is exhausted

Movement for Democratic Change leader Morgan Tsvangirai was ordered by his doctors to rest because he was exhausted, a condition which they attributed to overworking, his spokesman Luke Tamborinyoka said last night.

He dismissed reports that Tsvangirai was in hospital saying he was resting at his home in compliance with orders from his doctors. He was making intermittent visits to the city centre for observation.

The media has been awash with news about Tsvangirai’s illness after he failed to address at rally at the Zimbabwe grounds on Sunday. The Herald reported yesterday that he had been hospitalised.

“We see no reason to mislead the nation on President Tsvangirai’s state of health and we have been open about his condition since this last weekend. More importantly, unlike other political leaders who fly out to up-market hospitals outside the country for medical treatment, at the taxpayer’s expense, President Tsvangirai has exhibited faith in local medical expertise and health facilities,” Tamborinyoka said in a statement.

Full statement:

Wednesday, 28 May 2014

President Morgan Tsvangirai resting at home

President Morgan Tsvangirai is resting at home in compliance with what his doctors ordered, contrary to media reports that he is serious ill and is detained at a hospital in Harare.

On Sunday, his doctors said he was exhausted, a condition the medical experts attributed to overworking. They immediately ordered him to rest, which made him miss the party’s Africa Day rally in Highfield. Since then, he has been resting at his Highlands home, with intermittent visits into the city centre for observation by his doctors.

After one such visit yesterday, the excitable press has been awash with false news that the former Prime Minister is seriously ill and is admitted at a city hospital. But he is recuperating at his Highlands home as we have publicly maintained since Sunday. Today, some journalists had a chat with him at home.

We see no reason to mislead the nation on President Tsvangirai’s state of health and we have been open about his condition since this last weekend. More importantly, unlike other political leaders who fly out to up-market hospitals outside the country for medical treatment, at the taxpayer’s expense, President Tsvangirai has exhibited faith in local medical expertise and health facilities.

Our doctors and other civil servants are working under very difficult circumstances but President Tsvangirai has retained his faith in their ability to discharge of their duties. Zimbabweans should not panic. President Tsvangirai is in fine spirits and will be back to work soon to continue with his mission to bring positive change in the lives of the people of Zimbabwe.

Luke Tamborinyoka
Presidential Spokesperson
Movement for Democratic Change

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