Last night, Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi remained a patient at the National Hospital at Moto'otua.
Although he was earlier predicted to have been well enough to return to work yesterday, this did not happen.
Hospital staff told Samoa Observer around 8pm that Tuilaepa was “doing well” but were unable to say how soon he might be well enough to leave the Intensive Care Unit (I.C.U.).
Government officials had earlier broken their silence on the health of the prime minister to overseas media.
They extended first estimates of his stay at the Intensive Care Unit, according to Radio New Zealand International.
This follows Parliament sources confidently predicting a return to work yesterday for Tuilaepa.
By yesterday, however, that estimate was pushed back to next week.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Prime Minister's Office, Vaosa Epa, said that Tuilaepa's condition was “never” lifethreatening.
She expected him to be back after the weekend.
Ms. Epa said that the Prime Minister ‘just needs rest’, after an extremely busy week in Parliament.
It was a week that Tuilaepa had previously promised debate on the controversial audit report and an equally critical review of the audit, from the Officers of Parliament Committee.
However, instead, government introduced a new law on plumbers, and another on foreign trusts, among other parliamentary papers. Parliament was adjourned to Monday.
It is not clear when the audit report and review will be debated, if at all. Meanwhile, in New Zealand Prime Minister John Key offered a medical evacuation to Tuilaepa, with one media outlet describing him as “critically-ill.”
Mr. Key said the offer had been turned down for now, but New Zealand is prepared to send a plane should it be needed.
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He did not know the details. "We've made sure to the Samoan Government that if there's any assistance that's required we'll be the first to offer that assistance. I think the situation, without wanting to give medical reports, is manageable.
"We've said if there's any other help required we'll be able to assist."
"We have great respect for Tuilaepa.
“He's been a very long-standing prime minister of Samoa."
Authorities in Samoa were "comfortable with the treatment that he's getting and medivac services aren't required". Key said the nature of Tuilaepa's condition was something for Samoan officials to reveal. Tuilaepa went straight to intensive care after being assisted from Parliament on Wednesday night.
On Thursday, with the chair where Tuilaepa normally sits vacant, Police Minister Sala Pinati claimed Tuilaepa was doing very "very well".
Deputy Prime Minister Fonotoe Pierre Lauofo went one better, claiming that Tuilaepa was away on “work duties and some short visits.”
He did not say what those were. Speaker La’auli Leauatea Po l a t a ’ i v a o came closest to admitting a problem, telling the Opposition to check at hospital for themselves.
Tuilaepa, 68, has been prime minister for 16 years.
An economist with a master's degree from the University of Auckland, Tuilaepa has been in Parliament for 34 years. -with reporting from Stuff, NewsTalkZB, RNZI
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