Nepal's ailing PM may have hepatitis: Doctors

Kathmandu, Feb 14: Nepal's ailing 85-year-old Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, who last year had prostate surgery and was hospitalised with pneumonia, is now thought to be suffering from hepatitis, doctors said today.

The veteran politician is believed to have had ''mild acute hepatitis'' for the past two weeks, his doctor Madhu Ghimire said in a statement.

''Although the features of the current illness are consistent with Acute Viral Hepatitis E, the exact cause of the illness has not been established beyond doubt,'' Ghimire said.

Koirala, who has been working mainly from his residence since he became prime minister in April last year, has been advised to take ''adequate daily rest and nutrition''.

In June last year, Koirala underwent prostate surgery at a hospital in Bangkok. A month later, he was hospitalised for over a week after he developed chest pains, which were later diagnosed as pneumonia.

Koirala, who was appointed prime minister after King Gyanendra relinquished power following weeks of mass protests, has been avoiding many public events due to his poor health.

Serving his fifth term as premier, Koirala signed a landmark peace deal with Maoist chief Prachanda in November, ending a Maoist insurgency which killed than 13,000 people.

Officials said at least seven ministers and more than a dozen employees at the prime minister's residence were suffering from jaundice, with local media blaming contaminated water.

Reuters