Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, undergoing hospital treatment for complications following a near-fatal 2018 stabbing, said on Saturday that he feels fine and cannot wait to get back to work.
The Vila Nova Star hospital where Bolsonaro has been since Wednesday said that is making satisfactory progress and may be discharged within days, while chief surgeon Antonio Macedo told journalists that he could be released on Sunday.
Bolsonaro was offered a diet of soups and purees on Saturday, and assuming he showed no negative reaction, he could be discharged in the next few days, according to the hospital statement.
Bolsonaro, 66, has been in the São Paulo hospital since Wednesday for treatment relating to an obstructed intestine following the 2018 knifing.
He was reportedly initially admitted to a military hospital in the capital, Brasília, after being struck down by an unremitting bout of the hiccups which had lasted for more than 10 days.
The state of Bolsonaro’s health had been the subject of media speculation after a succession of public appearances in which he visibly struggled to speak.
Before his admission to hospital, Bolsonaro said on social media that his hiccups problem had started after he underwent dental surgery on 3 June, and blamed it on drugs he had been prescribed.
In a live online event on Saturday to mark the opening of a Caixa Economica bank branch in the northern state of Ceará, Bolsonaro said he was feeling fine and itching to get back to work.
“I’m fine, thank God. The problem I had earlier this week was still due to the stab wound I received in 2018 … from time to time, it affects the gut,” Bolsonaro said in the live event, explaining that he will not undergo surgery.
“I can’t wait to get back to work, see friends, and really get Brazil moving,” he added.