Dalai Lama terminally ill with prostate cancer, claims news report

A news report has claimed that the 14th Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of followers of Tibetan Buddhism and a figurehead of the Tibetan resistance movement, is suffering from an advanced stage of prostate cancer. According to the report in The Quint, the 82-year-old leader has been undergoing treatment in the United States. Citing “credible sources,” the report goes on to claim that the Indian government has been aware of the Dalai Lama's health condition for over an year, while the Chinese leadership came to know of the Dalai Lama’s deteriorating health only a few months back.

The report points out that the Tibetan leader had been using a sanitiser to clean his hands after his public interactions.

“The Dalai Lama's robes have, of late, acquired a new outer layer. Apparently, this is to hide a special bag, known in medical parlance as “colostomy bag”, which he has to wear after several surgeries,” the article also claims, citing unnamed sources.

The article notes that the Dalai Lama had been seen taking “unsteady steps” and “walking with assistance” from several aides during his most recent public appearances. “The prostate cancer condition doesn’t allow him to bend repeatedly,” it claims.

It points to recent statements by the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) in Dharamsala, saying these are reflective of the fact that his health is in dire straits. In March, a statement by the Tibetan authorities attributed his cancellation of public appearances to “exhaustion and age.”

Central Tibetan Administration denies report, says “His Holiness is healthy”

The news report has been denied by the members of the Tibetan-government-in-exile, based out of Dharamshala. “His Holiness is healthy. In fact, he’s set to make a trip abroad,” Tsering Dhondup of Tibetan Policy Institute has been quoted as saying in the report.

A spokesperson at the CTA reiterated to National Herald that the Dalai Lama was in a sound health. “He is travelling to Lithuania and Latvia tomorrow,” said the spokesperson.

The Quint article claims that the Tibetan establishment in India has been trying to keep a lid on the Dalai Lama's failing health, even as the leader’s repeated visits to US’ Mayo Clinic, a cancer-speciality hospital, in recent years haven’t gone unnoticed. The Indian government reportedly turned its attention to his failing health in February this year.

The report speculates that the Dalai Lama’s health could have been a reason why the 60th-anniversary celebrations of the Tibetan-government-in-exile were preponed by a year.