Was there an attempt to conceal Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s medical condition? The prime minister continues to rest at Sheba Medical Center on Sunday after a pacemaker was implanted in his chest overnight while sources claim his medical tests have indicated a cardiac problem for some time.
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Medical sources who were involved in Netanyahu's treatment admist to Ynet that for years his electrocardiogram (ECG) tests showed abnormal results. “This isn’t a disease, but an indication,” they said.
Meanwhile, due to his condition requiring him to remain under medical supervision, Netanyahu was forced to postpone his official visits to Cyprus and Turkey, which were planned for this week. A meeting that was scheduled for Friday between with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been canceled.
After Netanyahu was rushed to the hospital last week, his office neglected to release information about the medical tests administered including the up-to-date ECG test results which indicated a problem. The official announcement made by the Sheba Medical Center as well as the PMO What that the prime minister suffered from dehydration.
Questions now brought to the surface are supported by the fact that in reports of medical tests administered to Netanyahu in recent years, the latest being in 2020, there was no mention of abnormal ECG test results. An ECG test observes the heart’s electrical activity. It is performed, in the event of a heart condition or when arrhythmia is suspected.
Shortly before his medical procedure late Saturday, Netanyahu said that he was "feeling excellent." "The prime minister feels well and will remain under medical supervision at the hospital, and is expected to be discharged later today," his office said after the procedure was completed.
Despite the statement, it’s still uncertain whether Netanyahu would be discharged on Sunday or would remain under hospital supervision for an additional night.
"We identified a temporary heart rhythm disturbance in the prime minister's heart on Saturday, and therefore urgently admitted him for a heart pacemaker implantation,” Prof. Roy Beinart, Sheba Medical Center’s head of the Davidai Arrhythmia Center said Sunday. “The procedure was performed without any complications. Mr. Netanyahu is not in a life-threatening condition, he’s feeling well and is resuming his daily routine."
After a heart monitoring device implanted in Netanyahu's arm last week alerted doctors to a problem in the prime minister's heartbeat, he was administered back to the Sheba Medical Center late on Saturday night to receive a pacemaker. The irregularity to the heart lasted a short time but the doctors' concern was that a prolonged and more significant arrhythmia in the future could prove life-threatening.