Sir Robert leaves hospital

Press, 28 December 1987, Page 6

Sir Robert leaves hospital

PA Auckland Sir Robert Muldoon left North Shore Hospital yesterday six days after surgery for bowel cancer.

Relaxing at home in Chatswood, the former Prime Minister said the speed of his recovery should remove any suggestions that he was contemplating retiring from politics. The 66-year-old Tamaki member of Parliament said: “I have no thoughts of retiring. I’m told by the surgeons that as soon as I get over the impact of the operation, and I’m obviously recovering pretty

rapidly, then I’ll be as fit as ever. “I expect to carry on for the indefinite future. I certainly expect to be a candidate in the next election.”

The long-time former National leader compared his swift recovery with that of the Prime Minister, Mr Lange, who had a stomach bypass operation in 1982. Mr Lange spent about two weeks in hospital. “I recover from operations a little bit more quickly than him,” Sir Robert said. He also recalled that a former National Prime Minister, Sir John Marshall, and a

former Labour leader, Sir Arnold Nordmeyer, were two members of Parliament who returned to Parliament after serious illnesses. Sir Robert had about 30cm of his colon removed after tests revealed a small area of cancer. “The doctors said they got it all. The prognosis is that there won’t be any further problems. Apart from taking the stitches out the doctors don’t expect to see me again,” he said. He paid tribute to North Shore Hospital staff and said his operation and recovery

showed the benefit of regular checks. Sir Robert has a medical every six months. He said he received hundreds of messages in hospital, including some from Labour members of Parliament. One was from the Glenfield member, Judy Keall. Sir Robert said he planned to relax at his Hatfield’s Beach holiday home over the next few weeks reading and catching up on politics. One task involved preparing his annual address to the Orewa Rotary Club, now a familiar event on the political calendar.