KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent – Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves is feeling better after being treated for an abscess at a hospital in Barbados, where he was warded on the weekend, Foreign Affairs Minister Sen. Douglas Slater said in a statement Monday morning.
Gonsalves was feeling unwell when he left St. Vincent Wednesday for official trips to Kuwait and Qatar and sought medical attention in Barbados during a layover, after his condition deteriorated.
“The doctors suggested that he should discontinue his trip and take some rest during which they will do more detailed investigations,” Slater said in the statement.
Initial test were carried out in Gonsalves’ hotel room but he was later admitted to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital on the weekend “to make it more convenient to carry out the necessary investigations and also out of an abundance of caution to ensure that the best medical care was available with the least effort,” Slater said.
The tests disclosed that there seemed to be “a focus of infection somewhere which was manifested as a persistent fever among other symptoms.
“It was subsequently discovered that there was a skin infection resulting in the formation of an abscess. The abscess has been drained and other necessary treatment initiated,” Slater, a medical doctor, said in the statement.
He said that Gonsalves has since been feeling much better and is “on the road to a speedy recovery.
“He is overly anxious to be out of the hospital and to continue his duties, but we are all insisting that he uses the opportunity to get some well needed rest,” Slater said.
“We wish to thank all of the many persons who have called and otherwise expressed their concerns, prayers and best wishes for his speedy recovery. The Prime Minister has asked to convey his gratitude and appreciation to all Vincentians and others for their demonstration and expressions of support and good-will.
“He especially asked to express thanks to all for the prayers offered on his behalf. We will follow his progress closely and report accordingly as deemed necessary,” the statement added.