Brazil’s Lula rushed to Sao Paulo for brain surgery, stable in ICU

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was rushed to Sao Paulo overnight for emergency surgery to drain a bleed on his brain linked to a fall in October, a medical note published by the government said on Tuesday.

The operation was successful and the 79-year-old Lula is “well” and being monitored in the intensive care unit, the note said. Doctors will hold a press conference at 9 a.m. local time (1200 GMT) to provide details.

There have been increasing health concerns about the aging president, a standard bearer of the Latin American left who is halfway through his third non-consecutive term.

Lula has curtailed travel in recent months while doctors monitored his recovery from trauma to the back of his head when he fell at home in late October, requiring stitches.

During talks with congressional leaders on Monday evening, Lula complained of a worsening headache and ended the meeting so he could go to a hospital in Brasilia, according to a source in the presidential office who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Lula had an MRI scan, which detected an intracranial hemorrhage, and he was transferred to Sao Paulo for surgery at the Sirio Libanes Hospital.

Lula fell at home in late October and sustained a small brain hemorrhage and trauma to the back of his head which required stitches.

Tests in early November showed his condition was stable and Lula remained active, recently travelling to Montevideo to discuss a Mercosur trade deal.

The president’s injury forced him to cancel a trip to Russia for a summit of the BRICS group of major emerging markets being held in Kazan, following medical advice to temporarily avoid long-haul flights.

Brazil’s Labor Minister Luiz Marinho was among the first politicians to wish Lula a swift and full recovery on social media platform X.