Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro was making steady progress, the Vila Nova Star hospital in Sao Paolo said on Thursday. He is currently being treated for a blocked intestine.
On Wednesday, the 66-year-old had been admitted to the military hospital in the capital after suffering from persistent hiccups. For further tests, Bolsonaro was then moved to Vila Nova Star private hospital in Sao Paulo. Earlier reports suggested that the President may need to undergo surgery. But after extensive tests, the hospital on Wednesday decided to start a ‘conservative clinical treatment.’
In a statement on Thursday, the hospital said that Bolsonaro was still in its care but was ‘evolving satisfactorily’.
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“The previously established treatment plan remains in place. The president will remain with no discharge scheduled,” the hospital added.
Currently, there are no plans to operate on Bolsonaro. But should the hospital change its mind, it would be the president’s seventh surgery since he was stabbed in the abdomen in 2018 on the campaign trail.
The far-right leader had been complaining publically since last week that he had been suffering from hiccups after a dental implant surgery on July 3.
His admission to the hospital came at a difficult time for Bolsonaro who last week saw his disapproval rating climb to an all-time high.
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The Senate has also launched an investigation over his handling of the pandemic, the seriousness of which he repeatedly downplayed and which has cost almost 540,000 lives in Brazil. The investigation was extended by 90 days on Wednesday.
Bolsonaro, who contracted Covid-19 last year, is also being investigated by the public prosecutor for allegedly failing to act on an embezzlement tip-off regarding coronavirus vaccine purchases.
The opposition is pushing for the president of the chamber of deputies to open impeachment proceedings against Bolsonaro.
