Knowledge of heart

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33628, 2 September 1974, Page 14

Knowledge of heart

The fact that Mr Kirk had a heart condition -was known to a number of

people, including the Cabinet. This was admitted yesterday afternoon by the Acting Prime Minister (Mr Watt), Cedric Mentiplay reports.

Mr Watt said it was true that Mr Kirk had gone into the Hofne of! Compassion on the terms stated in the press release at the time “but some of us have known for a long time that he was suffering from heart

strain.” He repeated that he relieved the matter was general knowledge. When it was pointed out o Mr Watt that the mention if heart trouble in the official statement announcing the Prime Minister’s death was the first mention of it, Mr Watt replied: “I knew that ne'd had some trouble with his heart but I didn't know! the details of it at all.” Asked how long he had xnown, Mr Watt said: “Well, it’s been fairly well known for some time. There had been a little trouble but everybody felt — at least 1 did—that most of the problems came from the lung: rather than the heart.” Mr Watt confirmed that' Mr Kirk had been suffering from gastric influenza in recent weeks and that the statement saying he was .entering hospital for rest was correct.

“He was under a lot of strain,” Mr Watt said.

Mr Kirk’s health had been; | poor for nearly five months,; J culminating in him entering: the Home of Compassion! i hospital at Island Bay last; Wednesday afternoon after: being advised by doctors to! :take a complete rest. ' In the preceding two | weeks, Mr Kirk appeared infrequently in the House of I

Representatives and cancelled many engagements. One of his last public acts as Prime Minister was to open St Peter’s Co-educa-tional College in Palmerston North on August 18.