No Need For Surgery, Brazilian President Bolsonaro Recovers From Intestinal Blockage Related To Stabbing 2018

JAKARTA - Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro did not need to undergo surgery after being hospitalized with an intestinal disorder that has now cleared up, his medical team said on Tuesday.

The blockage is Bolsonaro's latest complication from a 2018 stabbing. President Bolsonaro is currently recovering from his condition.

Sao Paulo's Vila Nova Star hospital said in a bulletin President Bolsonaro was fine on a liquid diet and doctors had removed the nasogastric tube that was inserted when he was admitted to the hospital on Monday morning.

"The president's digestive tract is showing signs of recovery," the bulletin released by his medical team said, citing Reuters January 5. The bulletin added that there was still no timeframe for his return.

The decision not to operate on Bolsonaro came after he was re-evaluated by his doctor, Antonio Macedo, who was on holiday in the Bahamas and arrived in Sao Paulo on Tuesday morning.

President Bolsonaro has undergone a series of emergency surgeries since being stabbed during a campaign event in September 2018.

As previously reported, Brazilian President Bolsonaro said on Twitter on Monday he started feeling unwell the Sunday after lunch. He was on vacation in the southern state of Santa Catarina and was immediately taken to Sao Paulo by plane.

To note, President Bolsonaro noted this was his second hospitalization "with the same symptoms" in as many months. In July 2021, he was taken to Vila Nova Star due to an intestinal blockage after suffering from chronic hiccups.

If nothing goes wrong, President Bolsonaro, who has been in power since 2019 and plans to run for president again in a vote scheduled for October this year.