Prime Minister Hu‘akavameiliku says he can still do his job for the time being.
Concerns have been raised about the Prime Minister’s health after reports that he fell unconscious while attending a meeting in the United States recently.
Hon. Hu’akavameiliku was in the United States in late September to attend the U.S-Pacific Islands Forum Summit in Washington D.C.
A journalist asked Hon. Hu’akavameiliku during a press conference on Friday last week in Nuku’alofa to explain his health conditions.
Salamo Tu’iniua told the Prime Minister she had information he did not attend some meetings because he had health issues.
Responding, the Prime Minister said in Tongan that if there were more meetings for him to attend, he would not have been able to return to Tonga.
“As the saying goes, we are trying to get healthier so we can do our job”, the Prime Minister replied in Tongan.
He also appeared to have admitted he had serious health conditions by saying this was “something for the Lord and the doctor to look at.”
“I can still do the job for the time being”, he said.
Kaniva News has been told that the Prime Minister fell unconscious as a result of his alleged diabetic related health conditions.
Given that the Prime Minister’s health is a matter of public concern, we have asked him to respond to these reports.
We asked him whether it was true he fell unconscious while attending a meeting in the US and why this happened.
We have asked him to confirm reports that he is diabetic.
The Prime Minister was also asked whether he believed his Office should have released a full official medical report about his health conditions as has happened in countries such as New Zealand and the US when there have been rumours about their leaders’ health.
The Prime Minister’s office has released photos which show the Prime Minister was among people sitting in a meeting. The photos had no captions.
The question about Hon. Hu’akavameiliku’s health follows a recent call for authorities to consider making health checks obligatory for all candidates running for the Tonga Parliament.
The issue has been increasingly debated after four MPs died in two years while or after seeking medical treatments overseas.
