Former German Chancellor Schroeder hospitalized with “burnout”

Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder was hospitalized with "severe burnout," the German news agency dpa reported on Tuesday, UNN reports.

Details

Schroeder, who led Germany from 1998 to 2005, "suffers from severe burnout syndrome with typical symptoms of profound exhaustion and serious lack of energy," according to a letter from his doctor, seen by the dpa news agency.

The 80-year-old man experiences "difficulties with concentration and memory," as well as "sleep disturbances" and "decreased emotional stability," the letter says.

On the advice of his doctor, Schroeder went to the hospital for treatment, his lawyer Hans-Peter Huber confirmed to dpa.

Addendum

Although Schroeder left office as chancellor 20 years ago, he had a busy and highly controversial career after politics.

The politician, who was the chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) from 1999 to 2004, has faced harsh criticism for his ties to Russia.

He has worked for a number of Russian state-owned companies and has a close relationship with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, the newspaper points out.

In January, Schroeder canceled a speech to a committee in the parliament of the northern state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern investigating the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, which the former chancellor had promoted in his office.

Schröder's doctor stated that the former chancellor "is neither now nor in the foreseeable future able to cope with the physical and psychological stress of a long - especially public - interrogation by the investigative commission.