Duterte healthy enough for job — Duque

MANILA, Philippines – President Duterte is “quite fit” for the job despite having myasthenia gravis, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said yesterday.

“I think he is quite fit for the job because my personal assessment is that he is a strong man to be able to do his job, which is a very taxing, very demanding and high-pressure level job,” Duque said.

Duque added that while the presidency is the “most difficult job on Earth,” the 74-year-old Duterte is able to handle it well.

“He is OK. He is able to do many things that the media practitioners are not able to follow. He is going to visit wakes, visit soldiers and policemen in hospitals in different parts of the country,” Duque told the Kapihan sa Manila Bay media forum.

Duque stressed there is no indication that the President’s having myasthenia gravis has any effect on his ability to function and work.

Myasthenia gravis is a chronic neuromuscular disease that causes weakness in the skeletal muscles responsible for moving parts of the body and breathing.

It is not fatal but can be progressive if not diagnosed early and treated properly, primarily through medication. 

Duterte earlier admitted he has Buerger’s disease, a cause of blockages in the blood vessels associated with smoking during his youth.

He also admitted to having Barrett’s esophagus, a disorder in the lining of the esophagus due to gastroesophageal reflux disease or acid reflux.

Duterte also admitted taking fentanyl, a powerful painkiller to manage pain for his spinal injury he sustained in a motorcycle accident.