Nelson Mandela discharged from hospital after collapsed lung treatment

South Africa’s national icon Nelson Mandela has been discharged from hospital after undergoing treatment for a collapsed lung, a condition that is not unusual for one of his age, the South African Surgeon General says.

A live e-TV broadcast at 12:30 local time (GMT +2) showed the South African Military Health Services Surgeon General, Lieutenant General Vejaynand Ramlakan give a briefing on the health of ‘Madiba’ (his clan name). Ramlakan explained Mandela had had respiratory complaints before and that a “pneumothorax” or collapsed lung, when fluids surround the body cavity around the lung, was not unusual in a man of his age.

He reminded those present that Mandela had been ill during his imprisonment at Robben Island and therefore had a long history of respiratory ailments.

Times Live reported Ramlakan saying Mandela was in “high spirits”

"Medically at present there is no reason to panic. He surprises us on a daily basis with his powers of recovery."

The Surgeon General said Mandela would continue to receive care at home "equal to" his care at the hospital. He said the patient was "Stable, but subject to intense monitoring."

The BBC also reported on Mandela’s discharge, quoting Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe as saying: "Madiba is well."