PM FICO ALLEGED TO HAVE HEART PROBLEMS

C O N F I D E N T I A L BRATISLAVA 000947 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/17/2011 TAGS: PREL PGOV LO SUBJECT: PM FICO ALLEGED TO HAVE HEART PROBLEMS REF: BRATISLAVA 879 Classified By: Ambassador Rodolphe M. Vallee for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (SBU) Summary. PM Fico is alleged to be suffering from high blood pressure and high cholestorol. Local media have speculated that he will have to curtail his public schedule or risk suffering the fate of his father, who died of a heart attack in his 50s. Fico himself suggested his only problem is erratic fluctuations in blood pressure. Appearing more rested than usual, he is plunging on with his schedule. End summary. ¶2. (C) Prof. Igor Riecansky, Head of the Department of Cardiology at the Slovak Institute of Cardiovascular diseases, told Ambassador December 4 that he is in frequent contact with Fico's personal cardiologist, and that Fico suffers from high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Fico's doctors are particularly concerned because Fico's father died in his 50s from a heart attack. Riecansky said Fico, age 42, had passed a bike stress test, and is on medicine, presumably for both conditions. ¶3. (C) Minister of Education Jan Mikolaj told DCM that Fico had confided in him that he feels too young for such health problems, and that he hasn't been taking the medicine prescribed to him. (Comment. Mikolaj is a nominee of the Slovak National Party (SNS) and Post has not heard previously that he is an especially close confidant of the PM. End comment.) ¶4. (SBU) Fico has been reported to be suffering from medical problems for several weeks now, but has been unwilling to discuss what he considers his "personal affair" in the media. On the day Ambassador talked to Riecansky, the tabloid-style daily "Plus Jeden Den" ran a front page story warning that Fico was at risk of a heart attack. The daily claimed that surgeons will attempt to alleviate Fico's heart problem by inserting a stent into a main blood vessel to prevent it from narrowing. Fico's spokesperson, seeking to discredit the story, said the only thing that could cause the PM to have a heart attack was the spurious tabloid article. ¶5. (C) After several weeks absence, Fico showed up for a weekly hockey game with the Ambassador on December 6. Fico was accompanied by DefMin Kasicky and IntMin Kalinak. Although somewhat of a "puck-hog", Fico played for the entire hour and a half, no more winded than the rest of the Gretsky wannabes. Asked by the Ambassador about his health, Fico said he had passed a stress test and that the only problem he faces is wild fluctuations in his blood pressure (120/70 to 180/70 in a matter of minutes),and that none of his doctors can figure out why. Fico speculated that it was emotionally related to stress, but that he is loyally taking his medicine. Fico said he is getting enough sleep, six or seven hours per night, which is better than the four hours per night he suggested was his previous norm. VALLEE