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Saturday, September 15, 2007
Justice chief undergoes kidney transplant
MANILA -- Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez Sr. on Friday went under the knife at the National Kidney Institute for a transplant to replace his ailing kidneys.
Solicitor General Agnes Devanadera, who was appointed as acting justice secretary by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo after the 76-year-old Gonzales took a medical leave before the end of August, said she visited him at the hospital.
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"He's still the same. I told him that he is a fighter and that he should fight on. Transplants sound horrifying but they are usually the best remedy," Devanadera said.
Sources said Gonzalez's kidney donor was his own personal driver Felicito Gunay. The operation started at 7 a.m. and lasted for about two hours. At 11 a.m., doctors pronounced Gonzales in stable condition.
On August 29, Gonzalez asked the President to allow him to go on a month-long medical leave. The President saw during the Cabinet meeting that he looked gaunt. He even had difficulty walking and had to be assisted.
Gonzalez was earlier rushed to an undisclosed hospital for bleeding ulcers. This, he said, took its toll in his physical activities.
"It seems it's really my ulcer that worsened it. I think it affected my legs so my walking was difficult without any assistance. When I was in a Cabinet meeting, the President noticed that I had difficulty walking, so she told (Executive Secretary Eduardo) Ermita to tell me that I should go on leave for as long as it's necessary to improve," he had said in a phone interview.
Gonzalez also said he might undergo dialysis, something which he has not admitted in the past. He said his kidney and ulcer troubles have made physical tasks difficult for him.
He admitted that his doctors advised him to seek a kidney transplant to do away with a regular dialysis.
In April, he made a visit to the hospital but when he returned to work, he started holding office at the executive lounge of the annex building of the Department of Justice (DOJ) instead of at the second floor of the DOJ main building, apparently due to his inability to take the flight of steps in his office at the second floor. (ECV/Sunnex)For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Zamboanga. (September 15, 2007 issue)
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