MHP leader discharged after heart valve surgery

ISTANBUL

Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli has been discharged from a private hospital in Istanbul following heart valve replacement surgery, media reports said on Feb. 9.

Bahçeli underwent the procedure on Feb. 6 after doctors detected degeneration in his heart valve, which had previously been replaced a decade ago.

The MHP leader had canceled his party's weekly meeting on Feb. 4 and was admitted for treatment.

He was discharged two days after the surgery, T24 news site reported. In a written statement on Feb. 9, Bahçeli said he was "nearing the end of his treatment and had entered a rapid recovery process."

"I would like to express my gratitude to my esteemed doctors and healthcare professionals who mobilized all the possibilities of medicine, completely excluded negligence and recklessness, did not overlook or ignore any detail and displayed superhuman determination during examination and intervention processes," he stated.

The MHP said on Feb. 5 its leader was receiving treatment for a lingering cough.

Bahçeli, 77, has been seen struggling with a persistent cough during his recent televised appearances.