Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades was discharged from his New York hospital on Sunday and is back in his hotel for a brief recovery period, before returning home next weekend, with critical issues, such as the Cyprus problem, reforms and the economic crisis already on his mind.
At Mount Sinai hospital, cardiac surgeon David Adams, who performed the operation to correct the president’s mitral valve on December 2, said Anastasiades has made “a 100% recovery. We are very excited that he’s doing so well after the operation, his heart function is strong and normal, the valves work completely normally now, and his rhythm is normal, so from a cardiovascular standpoint, from a patient standpoint he’s made perfect recovery and he is leaving the hospital shortly.
“We are very excited for him and it was a great honour to help take care of him,” Dr Adams said.
Anastasiades thanked Dr Adams and his team: “Thanks to you and thanks to your team I feel great. I am grateful for the great job you have done,” he said.
“ I am so happy and proud to have met such a distinguished medical team which, as I have said before, we shall see how we can use their expertise to our advantage for Cyprus as well,” Anastasiades added.
Asked when President Anastasiades will be fully capable of performing his duties, Dr Adams said it would be better for President to take another week off.
“He is going to recover a little and walk around the city and enjoy New York for a few days and we are going to see him mid week and he is planning to return to Cyprus next weekend. And he is really ahead of schedule in terms of recovery. He is doing perfect and like every heart patient we tell him to take three or four weeks with your family as he is really ahead of a schedule. So he is making great progress,” the doctor added.
President Anastasiades said that during times of rest, he was constantly wondering about issues back home.
“The big issues, such as the Cyprus problem, the economy, reform and so many other problem were always on my mind,” he said.
The President will be meeting the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland on Tuesday and U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday.
(Photo: Dimitrios S. Panagos – Greek American News Photo Agency, www.panagos.com )
