MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Former Uruguayan President Mujica hospitalized for a third time in 10 days

Mujica will remain hospitalized until he can tolerate more dense food, his physician explained

Former Uruguayan President José “Pepe” Mujica (2010-2015) was admitted Thursday for the third time in 10 days at a Montevideo sanatorium to go on with his cancer treatment. Mujica's head physician Raquel Pannone said the case affecting the 89-year-old leader was not particularly serious despite the recurrent hospitalizations.

On Aug. 26, he had also been admitted into the Casmu clinic but was released the following day. On Aug. 31 he also sought medical help after eating something too solid for his damaged esophagus. “The consequences of the radiotherapy made it more difficult for him to eat and he has been drinking less liquids,” Pannone pointed out. According to local media, the treating staff was concerned about Mujica's eating habits and needed to be hydrated intravenously.

In April this year, Mujica admitted he was suffering from a malignant esophagus tumor for which he received radiotherapy. “It is extremely complex in my case because I have suffered from an immunological disease for more than 20 years that has affected my kidneys, among other things, which creates obvious difficulties for chemotherapy or surgery techniques, all of which are being evaluated by the doctors,” Mujica noted back then. In a recent interview with The New York Times, Mujica said the radiotherapy seemed to have worked but he was exhausted after it.

“He underwent radiotherapy and that generated some symptoms that he is not overcoming. It is not because of his basic disease, it is not because he has any other complication. On the contrary, the evolution regarding the esophagus tumor was very good,” explained Pannone, who also reckoned that Mujica had tolerated 32 sessions of radiotherapy without any setbacks. She also told reporters that Mujica would remain in the hospital until the treatment can be carried out at home and he can tolerate more dense food.