Mubarak operation 'successful'

2010-03-06 18:25

Cairo - Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak had a "successful" operation in Germany to remove his gall bladder on Saturday, after handing over his executive powers while convalescing, state media reported.

Mubarak, 81, who was on a visit to Germany on Thursday to meet Chancellor Angela Merkel when he suffered gall bladder pains, underwent a "successful operation", said a presenter on state television.

"He is in intensive care after waking up and talking to members of his family and doctors," she said, adding doctors at the Heidelberg University Hospital would later give a medical briefing.

The veteran president, accompanied by wife Suzanne and other family members, delegated executive powers to Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif until he returns to Cairo, state media announced early on Saturday ahead of the operation.

The official news agency MENA said Mubarak, who has been president for almost three decades, underwent tests on Friday that confirmed "chronic infections in the gall bladder."

Questions

Gall bladder removal is a benign operation but the last-minute announcement of the surgery raised questions.

"Yesterday, they announced he would undergo an examination. Then they announced he would undergo a surgery. They should have announced this earlier," said political analyst Imad Gad.

The way the government handled the treatment fuelled "speculation that there are other reasons for the surgery", Gad told AFP.

The most common treatment, laparascopic cholecystectomy, is performed under anaesthesia and involves the insertion of a tiny camera through several tiny incisions in the torso.

This method allows a faster recovery, and the patient can leave hospital in 48 to 72 hours.

Mubarak's health is usually a taboo subject in the country he has ruled since 1981, fuelling regular rumours.

- AFP