Prime Minister, Tuilaepa Sa’ilele Malielegaoi, is back in the country and he is wasting no time. Today, the National University of Samoa (N.U.S.) is scheduled to bestow on him an honorary degree, a Doctorate of Philosophy in Economics.
The honour is to be bestowed during the University’s graduation ceremony.
Less than two weeks since he flew to Auckland for medical treatment, the Prime Minister returned straight to work yesterday, after arriving on a 9pm flight from Auckland on Tuesday.
While no official comment from his Office could be obtained at press time last night, a relative told the Samoa Observer that he was present at the weekly Cabinet meeting yesterday.
Concerns, however, remain about his health, the relative said.
“His foot is healing and he looks well,” she said.
“He looks better than when he was at the Tupua Tamasese Meaole Hospital but he still needs more time to recover.”
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The source said that despite his quick recovery from the scare that took him to New Zealand, he should “still continue to rest.”
“Two weeks is good but a month would have been better,” she said.
“But with him, all year round he doesn't rest.
He works and works and even when he does get some sleep, it’s only for an hour or two.”
The source said she and others close to Tuilaepa are still concerned about his health but understand that the Prime Minister knows nothing more than work.
She hinted that if he did retire, he would probably go “out of his mind” since “he is such a workaholic.”
Attempts to get a comment from Chief Executive Officer of the Office of the Prime Minister, Vaosa Epa, were unsuccessful.
According to her secretary yesterday, she was attending the Cabinet meeting.
A call to the Cabinet office confirmed that a meeting was underway, and that the Prime Minister was leading the meeting.
Tuilaepa, 68, was transferred to Auckland for a medical check-up late last month after being admitted to the Tupua Tamasese Meaole Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit.
The Prime Minister had felt “chills” and a “fever” while attending one of Parliament’s night sessions on Wednesday 19 March.
He was assisted out of the chamber and taken to the national hospital for medical help.
He was there for three days before flying to New Zealand after his infected toe caused a red patch to spread around the area.
Tuilaepa, who is also the Chairman of the Samoa Rugby Union, reportedly returned with the Manu Samoa Sevens on the same flight, after the team bombed out badly in Tokyo and Hong Kong.
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