Pecohub Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who is currently serving a 27-year prison sentence for attempting a coup, underwent a “successful” surgery for an inguinal hernia on Thursday, according to his wife.
The 70-year-old former president was allowed to leave prison for the first time since late November on Wednesday to undergo the procedure at the DF Star Hospital in Brasilia.
“Successful surgery completed, without complications. Now we wait for him to wake up from anaesthesia,” his wife, Michelle, announced in an Instagram post.
Bolsonaro has grappled with health issues since being stabbed in the stomach during the 2018 presidential campaign, undergoing multiple surgeries related to his wounds. He was also recently diagnosed with skin cancer.
Doctors for the far-right former leader, who served from 2019 to 2022, anticipated that his hospitalisation would last between five and seven more days.
The surgery was to repair an inguinal hernia—a protrusion in the groin area due to a tear in the abdominal muscles.
“It is a complex surgery,” Dr Claudio Birolini said Wednesday. “But it is a standardised… scheduled surgery, so we expect the procedure to be carried out without major complications.”
After the operation, doctors are to assess whether Bolsonaro can undergo an additional procedure: blockage of the phrenic nerve, which controls the diaphragm, for recurrent hiccups, Birolini said.
Brazil’s Supreme Court sentenced Bolsonaro to prison in September after he was found guilty of having led a scheme to prevent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva from taking office and to retain power.
Bolsonaro has maintained his innocence, declaring he was a victim of political persecution.
He has been confined to a small room with a minibar, air conditioning, and a television at a Federal Police headquarters in Brasilia.
Earlier, he had been under preventive house arrest between August and November but was sent to prison a few days ahead of schedule because he tried to damage his electronic ankle bracelet.
A court order said at least two police officers would guard the door to the former president’s room during his hospitalisation.
Bolsonaro’s release from prison for the medical procedure was authorised by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who presided over the case in which the former president was convicted.
The former president’s wife is accompanying him during his stay at the hospital.
