Dalai Lama health update: How is 90-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader after medical crisis

Dalai Lama Health Update: Tibetan Leader’s Recovery After Surgical Procedure

Theindiapostdaily.com – The 14th Dalai Lama, a 90-year-old Tibetan spiritual figure, recently completed a left knee replacement surgery at Delhi’s Indraprastha Apollo Hospital. He was released from the facility on Friday, according to the latest report. Senior Consultant Dr. Rajesh Malhotra, associated with the hospital, confirmed the operation’s success, stating, “His Holiness the Dalai Lama underwent successful left knee replacement surgery on Monday, 8 June, in New Delhi.”

Malhotra highlighted that His Holiness’s medical team and the administration of His Holiness the Dalai Lama worked closely with hospital staff throughout the treatment. “His Holiness is stable and expected to make a full recovery,” the statement noted, adding that the discharge occurred on Friday morning, 12 June.

“His Holiness is stable and expected to make a full recovery.”

Two years prior, in June 2024, the Dalai Lama had undergone a right knee replacement at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City. This procedure, like the recent one, was successful and marked a significant step in his ongoing health management.

Sikyong’s Remarks on Successor Selection

Penpa Tsering, the Sikyong (President) of the Central Tibetan Administration, addressed the topic of the next Dalai Lama during an event at Delhi’s India Habitat Centre on 9 June. When asked about China’s claim to decide the successor, he countered, “Chinese are not given the right; they are snatching the right to choose the next Dalai Lama. China wants to control everything,” as reported by PTI.

“Chinese are not given the right; they are snatching the right to choose the next Dalai Lama. China wants to control everything.”

Tsering emphasized that the process of selecting the Dalai Lama’s successor begins only when the current leader is “ready to leave (the world).” He also expressed confidence in the Dalai Lama’s longevity, asserting, “His Holiness Dalai Lama is committed to live long and perhaps for 130 years.”

“If His Holiness Dalai Lama dies, then Tibet issue will also die is China’s assumption.”

Further, Tsering criticized China’s policies, stating, “Communists always have very nice names for programmes that have very adverse impact on people.” He also accused the Chinese administration of using laws to erode Tibetan identity, saying, “China’s ethnic law is designed to promote only Mandarin and destroy Tibetan identity.”

Protest Against New Chinese Legislation

Tibetans residing in India plan to hold a demonstration on 26 June in response to the Ethnic Unity and Progress Promotion law, a new Chinese regulation adopted by the Parliament on 12 March and set to take effect on 1 July. The law aims to unify ethnic groups under a single framework, but critics argue it undermines Tibetan cultural heritage.