EBN- US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was diagnosed with prostate cancer last month, officials at Walter Reed National Military Center revealed.
Mr Austin, 70, was admitted to hospital on 1 January and then to the intensive care unit for complications following surgery in December.
The Defense Department took three days to inform the White House and key defense officials about Austin’s hospitalization, prompting criticism and triggering a review of procedures about how the head of the military could be away from his duties for so long without senior members of the administration knowing.
President Joe Biden and other top White House officials learned about his hospitalization Thursday, but National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters Tuesday that neither Biden nor anyone else at the White House knew about Austin’s cancer diagnosis until Tuesday morning, hours before Walter Reed officials made the information public.
The cancer was discovered in early December in routine lab tests for prostate screening, Walter Reed officials said. The surgical procedure Austin underwent on Dec. 22 was a prostatectomy, during which he was “under general anesthesia.”
“Secretary Austin recovered uneventfully from his surgery and returned home the next morning. His prostate cancer was detected early, and his prognosis is excellent,” the officials said.
Austin, 70, then remained in Walter Reed on Jan. 1 “with complications from the December 22 procedure, including nausea with severe abdominal, hip, and leg pain,” the officials said.
An initial evaluation found that Austin had a urinary tract infection, and on Jan. 2, a decision was made to transfer him to the intensive care unit for “close monitoring and a higher level of care,” the statement said.
