Washington: Former US President Jimmy Carter is recovering in a Georgia hospital following surgery Tuesday to relieve pressure on his brain after he suffered multiple falls, an aide said.
“There are no complications from the surgery to ease the pressure caused by a subdural hematoma,” the Carter Centre said in a statement.
The 95-year-old Nobel laureate was taken Monday to the Emory University Hospital ahead of the surgery, and he ‘will remain in the hospital as long as advisable for observation’, the Centre added.
Carter spent three days in hospital last month after suffering a pelvic fracture. That injury came weeks after he injured his head in a fall at home. He recovered quickly to volunteer the next day – with a black eye and a bandage covering 14 stitches – at a Habitat for Humanity site.
In office from 1977 to 1981, Carter placed a commitment to human rights and social justice at the core of his presidency. He enjoyed a strong first two years, which included brokering a peace deal between Israel and Egypt dubbed the Camp David Accords.
But his administration hit numerous snags – the most serious being the Iran hostage crisis and the disastrous failed attempt to rescue the 52 captive Americans in 1980. Jimmy Carter’s handling of the oil crisis of 1979-1980 was also sharply criticised, and images of cars lined up at gas stations were long associated with his presidency.
In August 2015, Carter revealed he had contracted brain cancer and was undergoing radiation treatment – an illness he recovered from, seemingly against the odds.
Carter last month became the first US president to reach the age of 95.
AFP