Dalai Lama taken to hospital with "discomfort" in arms

Monday, February 02, 2009

Reuters
by Bappa Majumdar
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File Photo: His Holiness the Dalai Lama

NEW DELHI, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, was taken to a hospital in New Delhi on Monday after complaining of "a mild discomfort" in both his arms, his aides said.

A spokesman said the 73-year-old leader had been diagnosed with a "pinched nerve", a condition caused by a slipped disc pressing against a nerve. It can cause a tingling sensation or pain in the arms and legs, doctors said.

The Dalai Lama has been advised to rest.

"He was feeling a tingling sensation in his arms and we therefore thought it necessary to get a thorough check-up done as soon as possible," Tenzin Taklha told Reuters from a New Delhi hospital.

"The doctors have said there was nothing to worry and he is fine and should be all right with some rest."

The exiled leader was taken to New Delhi's Apollo Hospital from his north Indian headquarters in Dharamsala.

Taklha said the Dalai Lama had been released from hospital and would spend the night in a hotel.

Chhime Chhoekyapa, another Dalai Lama aide, said the leader would return to Dharamsala on Tuesday and prepare for a trip to Italy and Germany beginning Feb. 8.

"Then he goes on an extensive tour of south India," Chhoekyapa said.

The Dalai Lama was admitted to hospital in August with abdominal discomfort and underwent successful gallstone surgery two months later.

Doctors said a "pinched nerve" is common among older people and often does not need corrective surgery.

"In 90 percent cases, patients respond to conservative treatment, including rest to reduce inflammation of the tissue surrounding the nerve," neurosurgeon Amitabha Chanda told Reuters.

In November, the Dalai Lama said he would not retire, putting an end to speculation about his future after the surgery. He also said he was losing faith in the Chinese government's desire to resolve the issue of Tibet's autonomy.

Chinese troops occupied Tibet in 1950 and the Dalai Lama fled the mountainous region in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule.

The Dalai Lama said in January he still had faith in the Chinese people and held out hope for an eventual change in policy towards Tibet.

China has stepped up its defence of its rule over Tibet.

Demonstrations by monks in Lhasa in March last year escalated into deadly riots and triggered protests against Chinese rule across the world and the Tibetan plateau, particularly in the run-up to the summer Olympics in Beijing last August.

China blamed the unrest on the Dalai Lama, whom it regularly brands a "splittist" or separatist. The Dalai Lama denies the charge, saying he is only seeking greater autonomy.