President to return today
President George Abela is expected to arrive in Malta this afternoon on an air ambulance provided by the Chinese government after injuring his back while on a visit to China. Dr Abela and his wife were expected to leave Shanghai at 9 a.m., (3 a.m.
President George Abela is expected to arrive in Malta this afternoon on an air ambulance provided by the Chinese government after injuring his back while on a visit to China.
Dr Abela and his wife were expected to leave Shanghai at 9 a.m., (3 a.m. Malta time), and will be landing at 4 p.m. following a 13-hour journey. He will be accompanied by Chinese medical staff on the direct flight.
The President suffered a hairline fracture to his back after falling at the hotel in Shanghai on his way to breakfast on Friday. He was in pain and although an orthopaedic surgeon said the nature of the fracture was not a serious injury in itself, it required rest.
Dr Abela was taken to Shanghai's Ruijin Hospital, where he was visited by Chinese President Hu Jintao on Saturday.
The injury meant that Dr Abela was unable to open Malta's stand at the Shanghai World Expo, which was instead opened by Foreign Minister Tonio Borg.
In a news bulletin, the Department of Information yesterday said a team of Maltese doctors were in touch with the doctors taking care of Dr Abela in China to ensure continuity of treatment. The two teams had already been in touch through a medical teleconference on Saturday.