Doctors pleased with Tutu's condition

Doctors are "incredibly pleased" with Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu's progress in hospital and the efficacy of his treatment, his daughter Reverend Canon Mpho Tutu said today.

"As we said last week, he is about halfway through a two-week course of intravenous medication and he's still in hospital for that," she told journalists in Cape Town.

Daily Sun reported that his family remained concerned and was keen to see him home strong and healthy.

Tutu said they hoped he would be able to return home by the end of next week and that he would be able to take oral medication then.

However, he was not bedridden in the classic sense and was able to get up and walk along the corridor.

The Arch, as he is fondly known, is being treated for inflammation, and his current stay is unrelated to the infection which saw him hospitalised last month.

Tutu was discharged from hospital on August 4 after being treated for an infection, as a result of treatment for prostate cancer.

He has been fighting the disease for the past 18 years.

The 83-year-old had been discharged a week before after an initial hospital stint for a "below the belt" infection.

"Spiritually, he is sustained by the messages of love and the prayers he has received," his daughter said.

She said the tokens as well as flowers, greetings and cards meant the world to him and the family.

"We as a family cannot stress enough how grateful we are for those and how much those prayers and greetings are helping him in his healing process."