KINGSTOWN, St Vincent, CMC – St Vincent and Grenadines’ Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves says 10 weeks after suffering a stroke, Senator Julian Francis, 71, is “making the progress to be able to return to work at some time”.

Gonsalves, 76, has taken over Francis’ Urban Development, Energy, Airports, Seaports, Grenadines Affairs and Local Government portfolios while he recuperates, after suffering a stroke on July 24.

Francis, who was flown to Barbados for medical attention has since returned home.

Gonsalves told reporters that Francis is doing physiotherapy on an ongoing basis and the physiotherapy is “coming along fine”.

He said he had recently spoken with Francis and that “he sounded on the phone like the old Julian. Full of chat and reminded me about this and that and, and so forth.

“But when you get a stroke and you’re doing physiotherapy, you have to get back your strength in your walking. … But, undoubtedly, we all miss him in the government, and I particularly miss him.

“I had to carry his workload in addition to my workload. So it’s the nature of it. In the midst of life, we are in death, and illness stalks us. We just have to work with it. And challenges do occur,” Gonsalves said.