Hospital: Lower house speaker visited Zeman without knowledge of doctor

The president’s chancellor, Vratislav Mynář, brought the speaker of the lower house, Radek Vondráček, to visit Miloš Zeman in an ICU without the knowledge of the doctor treating him, Prague’s Central Military Hospital said in a statement on Thursday evening. The head of state has been in hospital with an unrevealed chronic illness since Sunday.

The Central Military Hospital said that in view of Mr. Zeman’s state of health he could only be visited by family and close associates and that Mr. Vondráček did not meet this category.

The hospital said it also distanced itself from Mr. Vondráček’s assertions with regard to the president’s state of health.

The lower house speaker had told reporters that Mr. Zeman was capable of fulfilling his duties and had signed a statement convening a new Chamber of Deputies on November 8.