Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro could be forced to undergo emergency surgery after he was rushed to hospital in the early hours of Wednesday complaining of abdominal pain.
Bolsonaro, 66, was reportedly admitted to a military hospital in the capital Brasília around 4am after being hit by an uninterrupted period of hiccups that lasted for more than 10 days.
According to The Guardian, on Wednesday afternoon the presidency announced that the Brazilian leader was being transferred to São Paulo after Antônio Luiz Macedo, the surgeon who operated on Bolsonaro after being stabbed shortly before the 2018 election, diagnosed him with an intestinal blockage.
In a statement, the presidency said additional tests would be performed in São Paulo, which is home to some of Brazil’s leading medical centers, to determine if Bolsonaro needed urgent surgery.
A photo of Bolsonaro lying in a hospital bed, with a man who appeared to be a priest touching his right shoulder, was posted on the president’s social media accounts along with the message: “God willing, we will be back soon. Brazil is ours.”
During a trip to southern Brazil last Friday, Bolsonaro reportedly had to skip a dinner party after feeling unwell. In a recent social media broadcast, Bolsonaro said that his hiccup problem had started after he underwent dental surgery on June 3 and according to him the cause was the medications he had received.
