MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Bolsonaro hospitalized with severe abdomen pain

Bolsonaro was admitted to a clinic due to complications from “the multiple surgeries I had to undergo after the attack I suffered in 2018,” he explained on X

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, aged 70, was hospitalized Friday in Rio Grande do Norte due to severe abdominal pain linked to ongoing complications from his 2018 campaign stabbing. Initially treated at a local hospital, he was later airlifted to Natal for further treatment. Rio Grande do Norte Governor Fátima Bezerra provided a helicopter for his transfer and ensured medical support.

Bolsonaro’s condition was reported as stable, though he was sedated for tests and later described as awake and lucid by his son, Carlos Bolsonaro. The Liberal Party expressed support for his recovery. Bolsonaro has a history of hospital stays for this health issue, including surgeries in 2023, in addition to a skin infection in 2024.

Although disenfranchised and potentially facing up to 40 years in jail, Bolsonaro remains active ahead of next year's elections, in which President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva may also run.

According to the latest medical reports, Bolsonaro is being fed through a tube and cannot be discharged until he can eat normally. Doctors have ruled out emergency surgery and are monitoring his condition every six hours to determine the best recovery strategy.

After recovering from his sedation for testing, Bolsonaro explained his situation on social media: “I remain hospitalized at the Rio Grande Hospital in Natal after experiencing severe abdominal pain during my work schedule in the interior of Rio Grande do Norte,” he wrote.

“The cause was a complication in the small intestine, a consequence of the multiple surgeries I had to undergo after the attack I suffered in 2018,” he added. “Thank God, my condition is stable, and I continue to recover, without fever and with good clinical progress. The latest information we have is that, for now, there is no need for further surgery.”

“I would like to sincerely thank the doctors and nurses at the hospitals in Santa Cruz and Natal, who treated me quickly, dedicatedly, and competently, as well as the efficient transportation provided by the Military Police/RN,” he also pointed out.

“Initially, I was promptly welcomed at the Aluízio Bezerra Municipal Hospital in Santa Cruz and then transferred to the Rio Grande Hospital in Natal, where I remain hospitalized,” he elaborated. “I would also like to thank all Brazilians for their prayers, messages, and displays of affection.”

The retired Army captain also underscored “the strength that comes from faith, family, and those who remain by our side, even from a distance” while pledging “to resume my mission of traveling through the five regions of Brazil” at the earliest.