The health of the 83-year-old mother of Polish President Lech Kaczynski deteriorated after she was told of her son's death in a plane crash in Russia last month, her doctor said on Sunday.
Immediately after the accident, doctors in the cardiology unit of the Warsaw hospital where Jadwiga Kaczynski is undergoing treatment advised the late president's twin brother not to tell his mother.
Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the leader of the Law and Justice Party, decided after consultations with family and medical staff that he had to explain why her son had not visited, and on Tuesday told Jadwiga of Lech's death more than six weeks ago.
"Her condition has deteriorated significantly after Jaroslaw Kaczynski finally divulged the truth about the death of her second son. Her physical condition is stable, but her mental condition has deteriorated," doctor Peter Dombrovetsky told journalists.
The Polish government Tu-154 crashed near Smolensk on the morning on April 10. All 96 people on board died, including the president, his wife and a host of senior Polish officials. They had been due to attend a memorial ceremony for the victims of the 1940 Katyn massacre in which Soviet secret police killed thousands of Polish military officers.
A week ago, Jadwiga Kaczynski's health improved to the point that doctors were considering discharging her from hospital, and they allowed Jaroslaw to tell his mother about his brother's death.
"Jadwiga got through the news of her son's death with great difficulty. At the moment, I cannot give an answer to the question of when the patient will be able to leave the hospital," Dombrovetsky said.
Jaroslaw Kaczynski is the main challenger to parliament Speaker Bronislaw Komorowski in the snap presidential elections, which will be held on June 20.
WARSAW, May 30 (RIA Novosti)
