After being hospitalised for an obstructed intestine in Sao Paulo on Wednesday, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Thursday, 15 July, said that his condition had improved and that he was less likely to face surgery. The latest health scare for the 66-year-old is linked to a 2018 stabbing incident. He had also caught COVID-19 last year.
In his first spoken comments since his hospitalisation, Bolsonaro said, "I arrived here yesterday with a very strong chance of surgery, but surgery is now far less likely," Reuters reported. He added he was feeling well.
Bolsonaro posted a photo of his on Facebook and said, “Thank you all for the support and prayers. This is what motivates us to move forward and face everything it takes to take the country away from the clutches of corruption, reversal of values, organized crime, and to guarantee and protect the freedom of our people.”
Bolsonaro has undergone surgery a few times before, since the near-fatal stabbing shortly before his election in 2018, which many believe was crucial for the victory of the far-right former army captain.
In an interview on Rede TV with his doctor, Antonio Luiz Macedo, Bolsonaro said he might leave Sao Paulo's Vila Nova Star hospital on Friday. Macedo was reported as saying that now there was less blockage in the president's intestine.
Bolsonaro had been suffering chronic hiccups for over a week before he was admitted to a hospital in Brasilia. He was later transferred to Sao Paulo. Vila Nova Star doctors also said that the president was scheduled to begin eating again on Friday.
Corruption Scandal: Bharat Biotech Deal
The hospitalisation comes at a time when Bolsonaro’s political standing is growing weaker due to his handling of the COVID pandemic and a mounting corruption scandal related to the purchase of Indian pharmaceutical Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin.
The Brazil Health Ministry had signed a contract for 20 million doses of Covaxin. However, after accusations of corruption, Brazil suspended the $324 million contract.
Brazil also has the world’s second highest death toll from the pandemic, with more than 5,37,000 COVID-19 deaths.
(With inputs from Reuters)
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